SPORTS SHORTS 241: REYMART GABALLO WILL DO EVERYTHING TO WIN AGAINST HIS IDOL NONITO DONAIRE
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 17 Oct 2021
WBC interim bantamweight champion Reymart Gaballo will have to apply every effective strategy in order to beat WBC world bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, according to the assessment made by veteran sports analyst Quinito Henson as quoted by GMA News.
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Gaballo was mandated by the World Boxing Council to be the mandatory challenger to Donaire’s bantamweight championship. Donaire, announced that the title bout would be fought on December 11 in an undetermined venue yet.
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“Gaballo has to be aggressive, that’s for sure. He has 20 knockouts in 24 fights, and his manager JC Manangquil said it’s Gaballo's time now. Last year before he fought Emmanuel Rodriguez, he was in the US for nine months training during the pandemic,” Henson told GMA News.
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“This guy knows what the word sacrifice means. In order to beat Donaire, he has to outwork him, number two is hurt him. Once Donaire gets hurt, he tends to back off. We saw that against Naoya Inoue. I think those are two key things for Gaballo to remember. Can he do that is a question mark.”
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Even if the two protagonists boast of dreaded knockout prowess, Henson thinks that their championship fight would go the distance. He favors Donaire to come out winner in the end.
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“Donaire versus Gaballo, I think will be a similar outcome like Jerwin Ancajas versus Jonas Sultan. Two Filipinos fighting for the world championship, two Filipinos that would respect each other a lot. My feeling is that Donaire will win by decision.”
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Earlier, Gaballo declared that he will not step aside for the historic all-Filipino unification between Nonito Donaire Jr. and John Riel Casimero to finally take place after so many controversies.
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The 25-year-old Polomolok, Cotabato del Sur native is undefeated with 24 wins with an amazing 20 knockout record, knows that Donaire is negotiating to fight WBO world bantamweight titlist Casimero but thinks he should be the first to challenge the four-division champion.
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"I really want to fight my idol Nonito Donaire but it also depends on my boss and WBC. I am a fighter and what I want is to fight and win. That is my mindset," Gaballo said as quoted by Cebu Daily News. He is now training in the camp with Cuban trainer Osmori Fernandez in Miami, Florida.
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"I focus on one thing only. As a fighter, I will fight whoever it is they want me to fight. They are yet to mention any other names so my focus is on Donaire."
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How will he turn the tide being underdog against the future Hall of Famer and former top ten pound-for-pound fighter, Gaballo says his mettle will carry him to attain victory. "It is a big opportunity to fight Donaire, he is my idol. I believe in myself and when I enter the ring I do everything I can to win. I never quit."
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Gaballo’s manager JC Manangquil said stepping aside isn’t an option. “Reymart’s time is now,” he said as quoted by PhilStar Sports. “It’s an honor to fight Donaire. We’ve been hoping for this opportunity. Reymart’s been in Miami for close to two months, getting ready for a fight. Then, this happened."
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"It’s every fighter’s dream to become a world champion. We would’ve preferred to fight a champion who’s not Filipino but that’s boxing. If a Filipino is in the way of Reymart fighting for the world title, he won’t back down.”
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Manangquil described Gaballo as one of the most disciplined and well-prepared fighters in his SanMan stable. “He trains every day, he eats right and he never goes over 126 or 128 pounds,” he said. “Making 118 is easy. The fight will probably be in December so Reymart will be more than ready to go.”
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Gaballo defeated Stephon Young by unanimous decision on March 23, 2018 at the Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. to win the vacant WBA interim bantamweight title.
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Gaballo currently possesses the interim WBC bantamweight title belt, which he won by a controversial split decision against Emmanuel Rodriguez on December 19, 2020 at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S.
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In that match, two judges scored 115-113 and 116-112 for Gaballo while the third judge had it as a onesided 118-110 score for Rodriguez.
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A month later, the WBC ordered a rematch. However, Rodriguez instead accepted a fight against Gary Antonio Russell last month which resulted in a no-decision when he suffered a deep cut in a headbutt in the opening seconds of the fight.
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Spanish challenger Sandor Martin scored an upset majority-decision victory over former four-division champion Mikey Garcia on Saturday in Fresno, California. Martin (39-2, 13 KOs) had never competed on the world-level fights before and this was his first bout outside the U.S.
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He was supposed to be a stay-busy opponent for Garcia, who had not fought since February 2020 and was targeting an early 2022 bout with Regis Prograis. However, Martin, who was a 10-1 underdog, shocked the world, winning by a ten-round majority decision with scores of 95-95, 97-93 and 97-93.
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18 Top 3 NBA Draft Picks with 38 MVP Awards:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Bill Russell (5), Michael Jordan (5), LeBron James (4), Magic Johnson (3), Bob Pettit (2), Tim Duncan (2), Bob Cousy, Wes Unseld (1), Bob McAdoo (1), Bill Walton (1), Hakeem Olajuwon (1), David Robinson (1), Shaquille O’Neal (1), Allen Iverson (1), Derrick Rose (1), Kevin Durant (1), James Harden (1).
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10 NBA Draft Picks No. 4-14 with 14 MVP Awards: Larry Bird (3), Karl Malone (2), Steph Curry (2), Dave Cowens (1), Julius Erving (1), Charles Barkley (1), Kevin Garnett (1), Dirk Nowitzki (1), Kobe Bryant (1), Russell Westbrook (1).
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2 NBA Draft Picks No. 15-30 with 4 MVP Awards:
Steve Nash (2), Giannis Antetkounmpo (2).
2 NBA Second Round Draft Picks with 2 MVP Awards: Willis Reed (1), Nikola Jokic (1).
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Other Draft Picks with 8 MVP Awards:
Wilt Chamberlain (4), Oscar Robertson (1) - BAA Territorial Picks. It is done by selecting college players in the team's area, a special draft choice adopted in the Basketball Association of America in 1949, and continued in 1950 when the name National Basketball Association was used.
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Moses Malone (3) - ABA Third Round Draft Pick. The American Basketball Association's draft had a third round, where Malone was taken by the Utah Stars. Malone became the dominant face of the league when the ABA and NBA merged.
Source: Fadeaway World.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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