DONAIRE-LOPEZ FIGHT IS ON
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 13 Jan 2009
IBF/IBO flyweight champion Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire is scheduled to fight Puerto Rico?s Jose ?Carita? Lopez (38-7-2, 32 KO?s) for the WBO super flyweight title since reigning champion Fernando Montiel reportedly can?t make the weight.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum in an overseas telephone conversation with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports from New York said Bruce Trampler was working out the details but made it clear the blockbuster fight card at the Araneta Coliseum on March 15 is on.
When told that No.1 contender Pramuansak Posuwan of Thailand was set to fight Lopez and had even gone through the pre-fight weigh-in required ahead of the bout said ?that fight will be cancelled.?
Donaire who has set up training camp in Baguio City said his manager Cameron Dunkin had assured him of the title fight against Lopez in Manila. Donaire appealed to us to announce that his title fight ?is definitely on? adding he didn?t care who he fights for the 115 pound title.
Donaire said he had begun training at the Amateur Boxing Association gym in the summer capital along with Jonathan Penalosa and the Philippines No.1 featherweight Michael Farenas, a prot?g? of WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa who was scheduled to leave for Baguio later Tuesday after a workout at his gym in Mandaluyong City.
Donaire said he had started training last week and everything was ?really good? stressing that he had made ?the right decision? to train in Baguio with the Penalosa brothers, reigning world champion Gerry, former world champion Dodie Boy and Jonathan also a former boxer.
Donaire said the ABAP Gym was ?very good? and everything was falling into place nicely.
Arum said Montiel cannot make the weight and would move up and fight Puerto Rico?s Erik Morel, the mandatory challenger to WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa who has been offered the fight he has long said he?s wanted, against WBO 122 pound champion Juan Manuel ?Juanma? Lopez.
Penalosa?s manager Billy Keane informed us that they were ?very close to making the fight? and the result has been that the purse bid scheduled for the Penalosa-Morel fight was postponed by the WBO. Under the Arum scenario, Montiel would face Morel for the WBO bantamweight title but that is not likely to happen according to Keane. He said WBO president Francisco ?Paco? Valcarcel is likely to allow Morel to fight for the interim title against a less formidable opponent than Montiel.
In the meantime Keane said that the plan for Penalosa to fight Nestor Rocha or any other opponent in a tune-up bout on February 21 on a fight card being staged by Cotabato vice governor Manny Pinol in Mandaue City will not be authorized by Valcarcel until he has a copy of a signed contract for the Penalosa-Juanma Lopez title fight scheduled to take place in New York in April.
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