[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Donaire joins Pacquiao’s ring comeback undercard’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – To further spike the interest on the ring return of Manny Pacquiao, Top Rank Promotions has added the match between World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. and Jessie Magdaleno to its fight card.
Top Rank Promotions head Bob Arum has confirmed that the Donaire-Magdaleno fight will serve as the co-main event of Pacquiao’s comeback fight against American Jessie Vargas on Nov. 5 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Talibon, Bohol-native Donaire has been tasked by the WBO to defend his championship against Magdaleno following his impressive victory against Zsolt Bedak last April in Cebu City.
“Nonito will make his mandatory title defense against Diego in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Vargas fight,” Arum said.
Prior to the announcement of the schedule of his bout, Donaire had already began his light training for the Magdaleno bout. He hopes not to suffer a repeat of his crushing sixth round knockout loss to Nicholas Walters two years ago.
“I am preparing hard for this and I know that he had persistent problems in making weight,” he said. “It does affect the fight. It takes the quality of the boxing game down. But that’s pretty much it, he just has to do it. He has to make it happen.”
The 32-year-old Donaire has an impressive 37-3-0 win-loss-draw ring record, including 24 wins by way of stoppages. He has won his last four matches since the defeat to Walters.
The 24-year-old Magdaleno, on the other hand, has a clean 23-0-0 slate with 17 knockout wins. His last two victories, all by knockouts, came at the expense of Filipino boxers Vergel Nebran and Rey Perez.
The comeback fight of Pacquiao has failed to excite the boxing fans in the world with the MGM Grand Garden Arena refusing to hold the fight there and HBO dropping the coverage of the bout./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]