FIVE-DIVISION world champion and current World Boxing Organization super bantamweight king Nonito Donaire Jr. “is in the gym daily, training and his weight is down,” according to his wife Rachel.
The Filipino champ tends to put on several pounds in-between fights, forcing him to often reduce six pounds on the eve of the official weigh-in.
In an overseas telephone conversation with The Standard, Rachel said they don’t know whether the mandatory title defense against unbeaten Jessie Magdaleno will take place in Manila or somewhere else, neither do they know whether the fight will take place in September or October.
ABS-CBN’s consultant for sports Peter Musgni said the tentative dates for the Donaire title defense are Sept. 17 or Oct. 1 and that the fight will be held in Manila should the major sponsor reportedly in negotiations with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum seals a deal.
Donaire is coming off an easy TKO win over former Hungarian Olympian Zsolt Bedak before a crowd of 25,000 at the Cebu Sports Center following a brutal encounter against Mexico’s Cesar Juarez, winning a lopsided decision in Puerto Rico after dropping Juarez twice in the fourth round.
Magdaleno (22-0, 16 KO’s) earlier told boxing writer Steve Kim: “I would love a crack at Donaire next. I’ve been waiting for a while and now that he (Nonito) has a WBO title, I want it even more.”
He complemented Donaire as “a great fighter, I feel like he did what he did in boxing already and he put on a great show when he beat Cesar Juarez to win the vacant title, but I feel like his time is done and it’s time for the new generation to make their mark in the history books and in boxing and feel like that fighter who can do that.”
Magdaleno’s manager Frank Espinoza told BoxingScene.com that he and Arum had spoken about a possible title fight and they both liked the idea.
“I think Jessie is more than ready to step up at this point,” said Espinoza.
Both Donaire and Magdaleno are promoted by Top Rank, but Arum said that while he is more than willing to make the fight, he has one condition that, “We have to have a clear understanding and a program that (Jessie) is going to be able to make the 122 limit because his last three or four fights, he’s been way over the limit and we can’t tolerate that.”
