ARUM WANTS TITLE FIGHT NEXT FOR DONAIRE, NOT REMATCH WITH RIGONDEAUX
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 11 Nov 2013
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum doesn?t want Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire to face off with WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux in his next fight despite the fact that Donaire called him out after winning by a 9th round TKO in a featherweight ten round bout against Vic Darchinyan in a rematch in Corpus Christi, Texas last Saturday.
Instead, Arum told the Manila Standarded he would like Donaire to face Jamaica?s undefeated WBA featherweight champion Nicholas ?Axe Man? Walters (23-0, 19 KO?s) who retained his title with a 4th round TKO over Mexican challenger Alberto Garza on the same card as Donaire and whom Arum described as ?very powerful.?
Arum stepped into the ring after the Walters win last Saturday and promised ?Ill put you in with some of the big names? in the division to which the Jamaican replied ?That?s what I want.?
The other alternative, according to Arum, would be for Donaire to take on IBF champion Evgeny Gradovich who also trains under Nonito?s trainer Robert Garcia which is likely to make it more difficult to arrange since Donaire and Gradovich are also friends.
Gradovich who has a record of 17-0 with 8 knockouts faces Australian Billy Dib in a rematch on the Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios fight card in Macau on November 24 after winning the title by a close split decision last March 1 and then successfully defending it in Macau with a near twelve round shutout against Mauricio Javier Munoz last July 27.
Discussing a Rigondeaux rematch, Arum told the Standard ?I don?t think it should be his next fight because he struggles to make 122? which is why Donaire himself decided to move up to the featherweight division at 126.
However, Donaire said he doesn?t wish to look ahead until he gets a suspected fracture in his cheek examined and attended to following his come-from-behind spectacular TKO win over Darchinyan.
Arum reflected what 2012 ?Trainer of the Year? Robert Garcia and Nonito?s Dad, Nonito ?Dodong? Donaire had told Donaire before the 9th round that he could not win by throwing one punch at a time.
Arum noted ?he (Donaire) unleashed in the 9th round and that saved him.?
The unofficial compubox stats released by boxingscene.com shows that Donaire was more selective and accurate in terms of jabs and power punches thrown through the first eight rounds before Donaire won by a 9th round TKO although Darchinyan was the busier fighter.
In terms of total punches Donaire connected on 80 of 234 for 34% while Darchinyan landed 52 of 258 for a lower 20%,
On jabs, Donaire connected on 22 of 122 for an 18% mark while Darchinyan connected on only 4 of 101 for a mere 4% while in relation to power punches, D onaire connected with 58 of 112 for a high 52 % while Darchinyan connected on 48 of 157 for 31%.
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