DONAIRE AND BAUTISTA ARE BOTH RING MAGAZINE CONTENDERS
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 04 Dec 2007
Nonito ?Filipino Flash? Donaire is the authoritative Ring Magazine No. 1 contender in the flyweight division. The champion is still being declared vacant. There is a possibility that Donaire will eventually become the ?Ring Magazine? People?s Champion if he fights more well-known opponents.
Donaire successfully defended his IBF/IBO flyweight titles for the first time by scoring an eighth round knockout against IBF No. 4 ranked Mexican challenger Luis Maldonado. Nonito started sluggishly but increased his speed in round two, connecting stiff right hands and left hooks that weakened the legs of Maldonado and opened horrible cuts over both his eyes.
Maldonado displayed extra ordinary courage over the next six rounds, but the speed and accuracy of Donaire turned the fight into a one-sided affair for the champion. In my last article, I predicted a TKO in the 6th or 7th round and last Sunday it happened on the 8th.
Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista is the No. 10 contender in the superbantamweight division in the prestigious ?Ring Magazine? rankings. In the same weight division, Mexican Israel Vasquez, the current WBC superbantamweight champion, is declared as the People?s champion.
Bautista retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) Intercontinental super bantamweight title via a unanimous decision against Mexico's Antonio "Barrio" Meza also last Sunday afternoon at the Araneta Coliseum and confronted Daniel Ponce de Leon who gave him his only loss in his budding career.
"Wherever you are, I'm challenging you for a return bout. I'm not the same man you beat last August. I'll truly come prepared for you, let's see who is the better man," said the Candijay, Bohol native.
The defeat of Meza and Maldonado most likely will have no significant effect on Bautista and Donaire?s rankings, respectively. Both Mexicans have nothing to lose and everything to gain in their fights.
Other Filipino boxers included in the esteemed Ring rankings are Manny Pacquiao, No. 1 junior lightweight/superfeatherweight; Gerry Pe?alosa, No. 5, bantamweight; Z Gorres, No. 10 junior bantamweight/superflyweight; and Filipino-Hawaiian Brian Viloria, No. 8 junior flyweight.
In the pound-for-pound category, Pacquiao remains at No. 2 behind Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who is still No. 1 and having been in the ratings for 465 weeks. The Pacman is in the same ranking for 208 weeks now.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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