FEATHERWEIGHT FURY FIRES UP MACAU (PHOTOS)
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 29 May 2014
MACAU- The best 126 lb. boxers in the planet are here in the Cotai Strip and set to battle this Saturday. The Filipino Flash, Nonito Donaire, will make a bid for a fifth world crown when he goes up against defending WBA featherweight ?super? champion Simpiwe Vetyeka of South Africa.
Vetyeka stated during the final press conference held Thursday at the Venetian Macau that even if he is the champion he ?chose to fight Nonito.?
The 33 year old Vetyeka (26W-2L,16KO?s) wants to make a name for himself by beating the multi-division champion. He exuded confidence knowing that he halted the decade-long reign of Indonesian Chris John in six rounds last December in Australia.
Vetyeka is also known for beating another known Indonesian boxer, Daud Yordan, by 12th round TKO IN Jakarta.
The 31 Donaire (32W-2L, 21KO?s) previously held the IBF flyweight, WBA interim superflyweight, WBO/WBC bantamweight and WBO superbantamweight crowns.
Donaire described his loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2013 as a ?year covered in darkness.?
?But, that?s life,? He said, ?There is a yin and a yang. This will be my new beginning. This fight will show if whether I still have it or not.?
His father and trainer Nonito,Sr spoke to philboxing after the presscon and said that his son will have no problems making weight this Friday afternoon.
Donaire speaks to the media.
Vetyeka glances at Donaire.
Donaire and Vetyeka pose during Thursday's presscon.
Walters and Darchinyan.
Gradovich and Miskirtchian.
Locals Rex Tso, Ik Yang and Kuok Kun Ng.
?I think he can even go back to 122,? the elder Donaire said, ?He can carry his power at 126. We?ll see how a bigger fighter will react to his punches.? Nonito,Sr noted that Vetyeka is tall but his son?s sparring partner at the ALA Gym in Cebu, Reymi Castellano Aleye of Cuba, is taller than the South African and has prepared Donaire very well for this fight.
The ?regular? WBA featherweight title will also be at stake in this card when unbeaten Nicholas Walters (23-0,19KO?s) of Jamaica will defend his belt against three division titlist Vic Darchinyan (36-6-1,28KO?s) of Australia.
IBF featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich (18-0,9KO?s) of Russia is set to make a third appearance in Macau against Alexander Miskirtchian (24-2-1,9KO?s) of Belgium.
Also set to see action are Rex Tso of Hong Kong vs Ratchasak Kokietgym of Thailand for the WBO Asia-Pacific jr.bantamweight title, Ik Yang of China vs Geisler AP of Indonesia, Yasutaka Ishimoto of Japan vs Chris Avalos of the U.S., Esquiva Falcao of Brazil vs Eunchang Lee of South Korea and opening the proceedings will be hometown boy Kuok Kun Ng who will be pitted against Indon Muhammad Imam.
?FEATHERWEIGHT FURY? will be held Saturday May 31 at the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Macau and is presented by Bob Arum?s Top Rank Promotions.
TRIVIA:
The featherweight division traces its origins as far back as 1889. In 1995, the first featherweight champion from the Philippines was crowned when Luisito Espinosa beat Mexico's Manuel Medina by 12 round unanimous decision for the WBC world title in Tokyo. In 2003, Manny Pacquiao won Ring magazine's linear world featherweight title with his 11th round TKO win over Marco Antonio Barrera.
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