Nonito Donaire

Fresh off another one-sided, dominating, even humiliating performance on Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, Nonito Donaire easily defeated the South African champion and took his IBF belt, making him the unified WBO and IBF 122lbs champion.

For those of us in attendance at the chilly cold outdoor venue Saturday night, we saw an aggressive Donaire attacking, and even toying with the intimidated and much taller Mathebula who was on the back pedal for virtually all 12 rounds of the fight.

Many fight fans in attendance even began to boo Mathebula for essentially running and just going into survival mode. You would even start to wonder how is this fighter even a world champion fighting the way he did?

Or is Nonito simply just that good that once his opponents feel the true power of his punches in the first few rounds, they automatically go into survival mode for the remaining 10 rounds of the fight?

One solution to this is to place The Filipino Flash against a true elite Mexican warrior champion who fights like a true Mexican warrior, meaning they stand toe to toe and are more than willing to trade and go out swinging than to do a power moonwalk for 10 rounds.

During the post-fight interview with Max Kellerman many fight fans ringside were chanting: "Abner Mares," who is the WBC 122lbs champion and who many have been wanting to see fight Donaire ever since they both have been dominating at 118lbs.

Both fighters are now campaigning at 122lbs and are pretty much the biggest names and best at their weight class.

Mares is Mexican-American and has been gaining more and more popularity among the huge Mexican and Mexican-American Los Angeles community where he spent most of his life. Abner is a very skilled fighter who not only knows how to brawl but also how to box very intelligently.

After the fight, many fight fans were mobbing Mares for pictures and autographs.

It appears both Donaire and Mares are more than willing to fight one another, but their rival promoters: Top Rank and Golden Boy may not want to make the fight happen due to their ongoing feud.

Reports are already indicating Donaire's next opponent is pretty much going to be Mexican veteran former champion Jorge Arce, who made a successful career out of fighting in a more traditional toe-to-toe bloody war type of fighting style.

Some of the journalists after the fight at the post-fight conference (which none of the fighters even attended) expressed to me that they feel Donaire needs a real true challenge or at least a fighter who will be willing to stand in front of him and fight. This would mean a prime, elite Mexican warrior would probably make for a much better fight against Donaire than his last three opponents did.

Arce, in his prime, was the type of fighter that would fight on in a bloody mess with his face dripping red and he would often let that blood he saw on his face fuel him to fight even harder and get that "W."

But based on Arce's last performance and confusing result against Jesus Rojas, which in a short two rounds that ended in a no-contest due to unintentional fouls, many began to question if he is still able to be the force he once was. (Check out my interview with the referee of Arce/Rojas Kenny Bayless.)

My personal opinion is, Arce was indeed unable to continue for getting the very hard fouled punches to his groin and the back of the ear which pretty much damaged his equilibrium and hearing so he was not able to continue.

On my way to the post fight conference for Manny Pacquiao vs. Bradley, on June 9, a woman in charge of the conference was trying to convince Arce to just come in quick and only answer two questions. Arce agreed and he still looked in terrible pain from the fouled punches.

Will a healthy Arce provide a better fight against the "Man" at 122lbs Nonito Donaire? I think their fight should be a good entertaining one...for as long as it lasts.

Donaire, especially at this point of their careers, may be too much for the veteran Mexican former champion. Donaire's superior speed, power and counter-punching will eventually most likely stop Arce should they meet in October as it has been discussed.

The only difference is that Arce will go out swinging, as a true Mexican warrior does not run backwards or become a bashful turtle, blocking and forgetting that fans actually paid hard-earned money to watch this fight.

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Unified WBO and IBF bantamweight  titleholder  Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire and former WBO bantamweight champion Jorge "El Travieso" Arce are looking forward to a lucrative fight in October.

Bob Arum, whose Top Rank Promotions handles Donaire, has just confirmed a possible clash between the two bantamweight kings.

Cameron Dunkin, who manages Donaire's boxing career, said he knew Donaire's victory over Jeffrey Mathebula Saturday will lead to a collision with Arce.

“It’s Arce either in October or November. We are committed to fight Arce, we have an agreement, verbal agreement, to fight Arce.” Dunkin said via Marc Anthony Reyes of the Phillipine Daily Inquirer.

 “We are also in verbal agreement to fight another guy and then we start looking at (WBA champion Guillermo Rigondeaux,” Dunkin added.

Dunkin could be referring to Toshiaki Nishioka, who Arum mentioned as Donaire's next opponent after he gets past Arce in October. Arum also mentioned Abner Mares, who's fighting under the umbrella of Golden Boy Promotions.

Boxing insiders say Mares is a long shot due to the long-running feud between Top Rank and Golden Boy over intense business rivalry.

Donaire is looking forward to his first million-dollar purse under Top Rank. In his quite impressive victory over Mathebula Saturday night, he was reported to have pocketed $750,000 as his guaranteed purse according to Leo Reyes of the Digital Journal.

Donaire knocked down Mathebula in the fourth round, but luckily, the South African champion was saved by the bell.

After the knockdown, Mathebula quickly recovered and engaged Donaire with few successful hits. The lanky South African refused to go toe-to-toe with Donaire throughout the fight, opting instead to fight from the outside using his reach and height advantages.

It was a frustrating fight for Donaire as he had to chase Mathebula who was more concerned about blocking Donaire's left hook which put him down in the fourth round.

With the win last Saturday, Donaire seems ripe for a pay-per-view market debut, but, according to Marc Anthony Reyes of the Phillipine Daily Inquirer, Arum said he won't be in it until early next year, possibly against Rigondeaux.

Arum said HBO is not sure yet if the public will to buy PPV subscriptions in the lower divisions particularly in the bantamweight level.

The veteran 32-year-old Arce, who hails from Mexico, has 68 professional fights to his credit, winning 60 and losing six with two draws. He's the second fighter from Mexico has won world titles in four weight divisions.

Arce is an orthodox fighter and stands 5'4" or at least three inches shorter than Donaire's height which is 5'7".

Nonito Donaire once again showed why he is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world Saturday night. The man known as The Filipino Flash, dominated a tough Jeffrey Mathebula for 12 rounds earning a unanimous decision win. With the victory there is now no doubt that Donaire is the best super bantamweight in the world.

Donaire (28-1, 18 KOs) was brilliant at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, as he strafed Mathebula with hard shots for 12 rounds. He knocked Mathebula down with a hard left hook in the fourth round and generally got the best of exchanges all night long. 

Mathebula effectively used his jab and four-and-a-half inch height advantage to keep Donaire from getting too close and scoring a knockout, but it didn't matter. The Filipino fighter landed the bigger shots all night and it was no surprise that the judges awarded him with the victory. The scorecards read 117-110, 118-109 and 119-108. 

By earning his 28th consecutive win, Donaire picked up the IBF super bantamweight title to join his WBO belt and it appears he now plans to unify all of the 122-pound division's belts. 

While Donaire made things look easy on Saturday night, you shouldn't be fooled; Mathebula is a solid fighter who was a worthy challenger. Donaire won easily because of just how good he is, and the victory showed that is is definitely the class of the 122-pound division.

Donaire and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum likely have their sights set on a group of three guys for his next fight: fellow 122-pound champion Guillermo Rigondeau, bantamweight champion Jorge Arce, who is moving up to 122 pounds, and Toshiaki Nishioka, who recently won a 122-pound championship. 

Whoever Donaire fights next, he will be the favorite as his performance on Saturday only solidified his status atop the 122-pound division.

Nonito "Filipino Flash" Donaire (28-1, 18 KO)  is putting his WBO super bantamweight title on the line against the much taller and bigger Jeffrey Mathebula (26-3-2, 14 KO) of South Africa, the current IBF super bantamweight titleholder.

The HBO-televised event will take place at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. on Saturday night. Both fighters will be defending their titles for the first time.

According to Donaire, he wants to take the challenge against taller and bigger opponents as he moves up to higher weight classes. Most of Donaire's past opponents were either shorter or smaller as he attempts to face a much taller and bigger opponent on fight night.

Donaire stands 5'7" (1.70 m) with a reach of 68" (173 cm) while Mathebula stands 5'11" with a reach of 70" (178cm).

"The motivation is in my heart to work toward my goals and my dreams," Donaire said via ESPN. "To be a unified champion, then challenge anyone out there and make it undisputed is a dream, and hopefully I can make it happen."

He said he will make fun with this fight as it will be the first time he will face a taller and bigger opponent. It will be a his biggest challenge, he added.

Mathebula, who weighed 121.8 pounds during the weigh-in ceremonies, said he will use his height and reach advantage to score a win over Donaire, who weighed 121.4 pounds.

“I'm confident because I'm going to deliver the goods. I'm going to win Saturday,” he said via ABS-CBN News.

Donaire, who is ranked No.4 in Ring's pound-for-pound listing, is confident he will beat Mathebula, but fight observers say he is risking his title with the South African as he would find himself experimenting with a taller and bigger opponent, not to mention Mathebula's advantage in reach.

Supporting cards for the Donaire vs. Mathebula showdown with TV coverage include: Kelly Pavlik vs. Will Rosinski (super middleweight), Cameron Kreal vs. Anthony Flores (super lightweight) and Joe Wellis vs. Andy Ruiz (heavyweight)

According to a report by Dr. Ed de la Vega of Philboxing, fight officials for the Saturday night boxing event include referee Pat Russel of San Diego and judges Jonathan Davis of Buena Park, Calif., Deon Duarte of South Africa and Steve Morrow of Hollister, Calif.

WBO super bantamweight champion, Nonito Donaire (28-1, 18 knockouts), aka the Filipino Flash, is back in the ring this Saturday, July 7th, against South African IBF super bantamweight champion Jeffrey Mathebula (26-3-2, 14 knockouts) at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

This world title unification fight can be seen live on HBO Boxing After Dark at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT).

The HBO Boxing After Dark commentator team will include: Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr.

Mathebula, from Johannesburg, goes by the moniker "Marvelous Mongoose." He is coming off of a close split decision win over his fellow country man Takalani Ndlovu, a former champion who defeated him two years ago.

Mathebula has only fought outside of his native land four times. Should he defeat Donaire Saturday, he will become the first South African fighter to be a unified world champion.

Mathebula has been listed as being as tall as 5'10". The press photos where he is standing next to Donaire make it evident that he will be towering over him on Saturday night.

It will be interesting to see how Donaire deals with fighting a much taller opponent this time around.

Donaire is widely regarded as one of the top-pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Many publications have him as high as #3 or #4 on rankings list.

Nonito is also the most wanted man in the 122 lbs and even 126 lbs weight division, all while not even having fought above 122 lbs so far. This will be his fourth time fighting on HBO.

Also on the televised portion of HBO's Boxing After Dark will be heavy handed former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. Pavlik will be taking on Edwin Rodriguez, replacing the previously scheduled Brandon Rios vs. Mauricio Herrera fight.

Friday Afternoon at the Weigh-In:

All fighters made weight. Donaire weighed in at 121.4 lbs, and Mathebula 121.8 lbs.

Both fighters meant business as they stared each other down, but there definitely is a lot more respect than the intense bad blood in Donaire's last fight against Vazquez back in February. Donaire had to look upward to stare down Mathebula, displaying the significant height advantage of the South African champion.

Kelly Pavlik and Edwin Rosinsky both weighed in at 168.2 lbs.

King J will be live ringside at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California and will be updating his blog with breaking details from the fight night. Continue to check back in for additional real time updates and real time photos. Follow King J on Twitter at: @KingJ323

Every utterance, every quick syllable that falls from Nonito Donaire’s mouth when it comes to fellow Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao comes with a heavy dose of deference. “The Filipino Flash” knows where he stands when it comes to his elder.

But who’s to say Donaire can’t one day stop the Philippines as Pacquiao does each time he fights? Who’s to say Donaire can’t be as beloved as the future Hall of Fame great?

Donaire can be.

For one, Donaire is the future of the sport. He’s among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world under the age of 30, joining Tim Bradley, Andre Ward and Chad Dawson. And while Donaire is on the upward portion of his career arc, Pacquiao seemed to be slowly, gradually, spiraling downward.

There are some considerable cracks in Pacquiao’s once-invulnerable veneer. Most agree he beat Bradley in his last fight, but Pac-Man came under heavy criticism for his performance against Juan Manuel Marquez in their third bout, with most observers feeling Pacquiao lost.

Meanwhile, Donaire keeps surging forward. The WBO junior bantamweight champion won a split-decision over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., though Donaire clearly dominated the fight. He’s stopped four of his six opponents and his stunning knockout of Fernando Montiel in the second round was the 2011 Knockout of the Year.

Pacquiao hasn’t stopped an opponent since Miguel Cotto in 2009, and hasn’t won by a devastating knockout ever since he vanquished Ricky Hatton in May 2009.

We hear what sounds like rehearsed comments from Pacquiao these days. It's as if he’s become bored with the sport, the words becoming stale and sterile, more like someone who’s afraid to say what’s really on his mind.

The Filipino Flash has an effervescent personality, and his wife, Rachel, is among the most beautiful and outspoken spouses in boxing. With Rachel by his side, Nonito gets an added boost in the crossover cache.

Donaire is also at a stage where he’s very tangible. Whereas success has built a wide berth of insulation between Pacquiao and his fanbase, Donaire still has that luxury of being able to wade into a crowd and sign autographs and take pictures with fans. Pacquiao has reached the stage where his entourage is the size of a small army, whisking everyone away that comes near.

The day is coming, and coming fast when Donaire unseats the great Pacquiao. The gap between the two was once as wide as the Grand Canyon. That's not the case now.

Given some time, and a good push by promoter Top Rank, who represents both Pacquiao and Donaire, the Filipino Flash can take his rightful place at the top of the Filipino boxing world. He’s played the deferential role long enough; it’s now time to take the mantle Pacquiao once held.

South African Jeffrey Mathebula's height and reach present a new challenge for Nonito Donaire, but the "Filipino Flash" is one of the sport's truly special performers. This WBO-IBF super bantamweight unification clash will be yet another opportunity for Donaire to exhibit his brilliance.

Mathebula is 5'10", and his length will be the biggest obstacle for Donaire to overcome. Mathebula is a 33-year-old veteran who has demonstrated the ability to utilize his jab as a primary weapon.

Against the speedy Donaire, this will be a must. Donaire's combination of speed and power makes him pound-for-pound perhaps the most dangerous fighter in the world.

Many boxing fans don't pay enough attention to the smaller weight classes. That tendency could have them miss out on a spectacular fighter like Donaire, and this battle with Mathebula should be a competitive one.

The fight is the main event of a HBO doubleheader that also features former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in action

Here are the specifics for what will be a very interesting bout.

Fight Time: 10 p.m. ET; Home Depot Center, Carson, California

TV Coverage: HBO

Live Stream: HBO Go (Paid Service)

Preview:

The Book on Donaire

Donaire stands just over 5'5", and like another great Filipino fighter (Manny Pacquiao), he has climbed in weight, experiencing little to no fall-off in performance. He began his career at 115 pounds. He will be at 122 pounds for this fight, which is not a huge jump, but Donaire could continue to rise.

He is 28-1, and that lone blemish came in his second professional fight.

He has lightning-quick hands, excellent footwork and wonderful mechanics. Donaire is truly one of the best fighters of the last seven years, but he needs a signature win to validate that. Take a look at this video of Donaire's top eight knockouts and his spectacular KO of Fernando Montiel:

Mathebula isn't exactly that type of opponent, but he should be the final stepping stone to that showcase. One question for Donaire is whether his power will follow him to the higher weight classes.

This will be his third fight at the super bantamweight level, and he didn't score a KO in the previous two fights. In fact, his last fight with the skilled Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. was a split-decision. I had Donaire winning, but it was his most competitive battle in years.

At 29 years old, Donaire still has plenty left in the tank, but he knew the accolades and big paydays would have to come in the higher weight classes. While he looked virtually unbeatable as a flyweight, things could get presumably tougher at super bantamweight and featherweight if he continues to ascend.

There are a few potentially great fights on the horizon for Donaire. Abner Mares is one potential opponent, and recently I've become intrigued with featherweight phenom Gary Russell, Jr.

Russell, Jr. discusses the prospects of fighting Donaire and a few others after his recent TKO win over Christopher Perez:

Either of those fighters could put on an explosive show with Donaire. But first, he must take on Mathebula, and that will be no simple task.

The Book on Mathebula

The man known as the "Mongoose" is no paper champion. He is the current and newly crowned IBF super bantamweight king. He decisioned Takalani Ndlovu in March to earn the title. You can see that fight here:

The most unique thing about Mathebula is his considerable length for the low weight-classes. He has the height to be a welterweight or even a middleweight at 5'10". He uses a nice jab, and he throws fairly accurate combinations on the inside.

The great equalizer for speed is an accurate jab, and Mathebula has that. But being accurate with the jab is not as easy when your opponent possesses the lateral movement Donaire has.

Mathebula isn't a big puncher. He has stopped only 14 of his opponents, but he owns a solid 26-3-2 record. One troubling thing about Mathebula and this fight is that this will be his first fight outside of South Africa.

Donaire is obviously the bigger name, and the crowd will certainly be a pro-Donaire bunch. He lives in San Leandro, California, and he's far more acclimated to the environment in which the fight will take place.

Mathebula is experienced, but as much as he'll be battling the formidable skills of Donaire, he'll be battling an environment that isn't best suited for him to win.  

Prediction:

I think this will be a good test for Donaire, but in the end, he has too many tools for Mathebula. The hand speed and foot speed advantage is huge, and Donaire throws punches from almost every angle imaginable.

I'm predicting a seventh- or eighth-round stoppage or KO for Donaire.

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There have been months of speculation about who will be the next opponent of Nonito Donaire. For the longest time, it was dangled in the faces of fans that Donaire would fight former flyweight champion Christian Mijares.

This outraged fans who felt this was a horrible step in competition for Donaire. Fans haven't really been happy with his progression since the Montiel fight and have been demanding he take on one of the many elite fighters at the 122 lb. weight class.

Abner Mares, Nishioka and Arce have also been mentioned as possible opponents. Each is ready to go and has been targeting Donaire ever since he mad his debut at 122.

Donaire was due to fight at Cowboys Stadium in July as the co-headliner with Marquez at the helm. It now seems that Donaire will be fighting at the Mandalay Bay June 30th against IBF title holder Jeffery Mathebula.

This is being speculated by Steve Kim on Twitter who is usually spot on with top rank news.

"Steve Kim ‏@stevemaxboxing
I'm told that Nonito Donaire has signed a contract to face IBF 122-pd titlist Jeffrey Mathebula on June 30t at the Mandalay Bay"

Still, this matchup really wouldn't be an interesting fight, but is a little better than Mijares. At least now Donaire would be fighting for unification instead of fighting a former flyweight king. 

This fight would help his resume a little, but Donaire will have to start stepping up if he wants to be recognized as the top fighter at 122.