MTHALANE READY FOR WAR AGAINST DONAIRE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 26 Sep 2008
The trainer of IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire?s mandatory challenger ? Moruti ?Baby Face? Mthalane ? says his fighter will ?sweat tears and blood? in his quest to win the world title from the fighter known as ?The Filipino Flash.?
Trainer Nick Durandt says he has viewed about seven of Nonito's fights and concedes that thalane is ?in for a tough fight? but claims that he saw ?quite a few mistakes, and that is where Moruti is gonna capitalize."
Branco Milenkovic, the well-known South African promoter who was named ?International Promoter of the Year? by the WBC for 2007 and promoted the IBF title eliminator in which Mthalane scored a lopsided points decision over Hussein Hussein emailed www.insidesports.ph, Manila Standard and Viva Sports indicating that Mthalane was ready ti wage war against Donaire.
Durandt, the esteemed trainer of Mthalane made it clear that they will be going to the US as serious contenders saying "KwaZulu-Natal must prepare for wild celebrations."
On May 23, 1992, in the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, UK, Durandt guided KwaZulu-Natal warrior Thulani "Sugarboy' Malinga to winning the WBC super middleweight belt from Nigel Benn. Malinga became the first
South African boxer ever to win the lucrative WBC belt.
Donaire won the IBF title on July 7 last year with a spectacular one-punch stoppage of cocky Vic Darchinyan and received the award two days ago for the ?Knockout of the Year? from the prestigious Ring Magazine, regarded as the ?Bible? of boxing.
But Darchinyan found Donaire too fast and furious - one punch and it was over. That fifth round knockout was awarded Ring Magazine's "Knockout of the Year" and "Upset of the Year" in 2007.
The 25 year old Donaire who is training at the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas has been frustrated by the refusal of Japanese world flyweight champions in the WBC and WBA to accept his challenge for a unification bout because the Japan Boxing Commission does not recognize the IBF or the WBO.
It only recognizes the WBA and WBC as legitimate world titles.
Donaire who has made only one title defense in almost a year said he us eagerly awaiting the title fight with Mthalane and made it clear that nobody is going to take his title away from him.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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