MTHALANE WILL GO ANYWHERE TO FIGHT DONAIRE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Top-ranked IBF flyweight Moruti Mthalane of South Africa will go anywhere to battle Filipino world champion Nonito "The Flash" Donaire in a mandatory title fight.
That?s the word from well-known international promoter Branco Milenkovic who lost out in a purse bid to Top Rank Promotions Bob Arum.
Arum bid $334,000 while Milenkovic?s offer was $286,500. The South African promoter told www.insidesports.ph that he felt "both bids were extremely high for flyweights." The Arum bid guarantees that he will honor his contract with Donaire for $250,000 a fight.
Milenkovic said early Wednesday that right now he didn?t know where the fight will be held but added, "wherever it is we will go and Mthalane will be ready."
Arum had spoken of various possible different dates and different venues including Macau in November or December or Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. It has now apparently been decided that the Donaire-Mthalane title fight will take place on the undercard of the welterweight title fight between Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey.
The venue will be the Honda Arena in Anaheim, California and the date November 1.
Mthalane (22-1, 15 KO?s) earned the mandatory title shot by scoring a near shutout, twelve round decision in a title eliminator against Hussein Hussein last July 5. Hussein Hussein was earlier scheduled to fight Donaire for the title in Dubai but that project didn?t push through.
Prior to that Mthalane who is nicknamed "Baby Face" defended his South African title by scoring a fifth round TKO over Joel Kunane on April 12.
Overmatched Filipino Apol Suico felt the power of the South African in a clash for the WBC International title being stopped only 38 seconds into the first round.
Donaire (19-1, 12 KO?s) won the IBF/IBO titles with a spectacular, fifth round, one punch knockout of cocky Australian Vic Darchinyan on July 7 last year and in his only title defense scored an eighth round TKO over tough Mexican Luis Maldonado on December 1, 2007.
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