DONAIRE: ?I WILL DEFEAT BEDAK WITH MY TALENT? (PRESSCON PHOTOS)
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 21 Apr 2016
CEBU CITY ? Five time division world champion Nonito 'The Filipino Flash' Donaire Jr said he's ready on whatever his Hungarian challenger Zsolt Bedak will bring to bring to the table adding that ?I will defeat him with my talent.?
Donaire and Bedak, who will dispute Donaire's WBO world super bantamweight title on Saturday at the Cebu City Sports Center, came face to face during the final press conference Thursday at the Waterfront Hotel & Casino here.
Donaire, who waxed emotional in his opening speech recalling the ups and downs he went thru in his life and boxing career, said ?I'm a changed person and I am so much better now than before... Now I am a student, I am constantly learning. I utilized all the key aspects. I will be five steps ahead of him. I realized that talent will keep you a long time in this game.?
L-R: WBO Vice-President for Asia-Pacific Leon Panoncillo Jr, Trainer Nonito Donaire Sr., Top Rank's Brad Jacobs, Nonito Donaire Jr., Zsolt Bedak, ALA Promotions President Michael Aldeguer (partly hidden), ABS-CBN's Peter Musngi and Dino Laurena.
Donaire added, ?I have great motivation in winning this fight because I am fighting in front of my countrymen and my fellow Bisayans.?
Bedak, for his part, said he was happy to fight Nonito in Cebu and although he expected the huge crowd to root for Nonito, he said ?I don't mind and I'm not afraid because at the top of the ring there will only be Nonito and myself.?
Hall of fame promoter Bob Arum, who failed to come due to a bad back, delivered a video message saying that other Filipino talents have to come forward since Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao has already retired. Representing Top Rank who promotes the Saturday event in partnership with ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN, is Top Rank event producer Brad Jacobs.
Another Top Rank promoted fighter who will fight in the co-main event is undefeated Paul Fleming of Australia who will face Mexican Miguel Angel Gonzalez of Guadalajara, Mexico for the WBC Continental America super featherweight championship.
Paul '2 Gunz' Fleming (L) and Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
Fleming thanked Top Rank and his whole team in putting him in the co-main event and said, ?I expect my Mexican opponent, like all Mexicans, to come tough and come to win but we've prepared hard and this is my opportunity to show that I'm ready for that next step, to fight with the best in the world. This is an opportunity to show my boxing superiority.?
Meanwhile Gonzalez said, ?I have prepared long and hard for this fight and I will show to the Filipinos how a real Mexican fights.?
Mark 'Magnifico' Magsayo (L) come face to face for the first time with Chris 'The Hitman' Avalos.
In probably the most anticipated fight of the whole card is a fight between young upstart Mark 'Magnifico' Magsayo who will take on world title veteran Mexican-American Chris Avalos of Lancaster, California for the WBO International featherweight championship. Magsayo said he doesn't know yet if he'll regret taking this difficult fight because the fight is not yet done. ?But I've prepared hard for this fight, I started training right after my last fight. I've seen his fight and I think I can beat him,? Magsayo said.
For his part, Avalos is lowkey in contrast to his manager Mike Criscio who said that the Avalos-Magsayo fight is 'a fight between a man and a boy. ?I come here to fight. I'm not looking specifically for a knockout. When it comes, it comes,? Avalos said.
Jason 'El Ni?o' Pagara (L) and Miguel 'Mikol' Zamudio of Mexico pose during Thursday's presscon at the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City. Pagara and Zamudio will fight on a 10-round super lightweight bout.
Donaire-Bedak press conference at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu Thursday.
Photos by Levi Deresas / PhilBoxing.com.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
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