DONAIRE TO STAY AT FLYWEIGHT, FACE ORTIZ IN TITLE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 16 Jan 2009
IBF/IBO flyweight champion Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire?s original plan of moving up in weight to fight Puerto Rico?s Jose ?Carita? Lopez (38-7-2, 32 KO?s) for the WBO super flyweight title vacated by reigning champion Fernando Montiel who can?t make the weight has been scrapped.
That?s because Lopez had signed to fight No. 1 contender Pramuansak Posuwan of Thailand in a promotion by PR Best Boxing Promotions headed by Ivan Rivera and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum?s couldn?t have the fight cancelled and have Lopez fight Donaire at the Araneta Coliseum on March 15 for the vacant title.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum in an overseas telephone conversation with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports said ?you are absolutely right. Lopez is off the card and Donaire (16-1, 13 KO?s) will defend his flyweight title, delay going up to 115 and fight Eric Ortiz of Mexico. ?
Arum said he ?made that match today? and that Montiel would fight WBO mandatory challenger Erik Morel who was scheduled to face WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa who is moving up to fight WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel ?Juanma? Marquez on April 4 in New York.
Arum said Solar Sports CEO Peter Chanliong with whom Arum will partner in the world championship doubleheader said there was no value in having the Montiel-Morel title fight on the same card and bloat their costs. As a result Arum said he will do that fight one week later in Cancun,
Former WBC light flyweight champion Brian Viloria will clash with IBF champion Ulises Solis in the second championship bout on the big fight card at the renowned Araneta Coliseum recognized as the ?Mecca? of Philippine sports and entertainment.
The 31 year old Ortiz has a record of 30-8-2 with 19 knockouts. After losing by an 8th round TKO to Z ?The Dream? Gorres on August 11, 2007 in the Philippines vs Mexico ?World Cup of Boxing? Ortiz lost by a 6th round TKO to Victor Zaleta on September 29, 2007.
However since then Ortiz has won four fights in a row including the North American Boxing Federation title when he scored a 5th round technical decision over undefeated Adrian Hernandez. In his last fight on November 29, 2008 Ortiz scored an impressive 4th round TKO over Juan Alfonso Keb Baas.
Ortiz lost his WBC light flyweight title when he was knocked out in the first round by Brian Viloria on September 10, 2005.
Donaire who has set up training camp in Baguio City was working out after a rest day on Thursday right after Penalosa finished his two hour workout which began at noon. Both world champions are training at the Amateur Boxing Association gym in the summer capital. 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.
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