NONITO Donaire, Jr.
‘Filipino Flash’ Donaire to defend super-bantam title against Mexican Gradovich in April
After clinching the vacant WBO Super-Bantamweight title, five-division world champion Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. will make his first title defense in front of Filipino boxing fans this April at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila.
Donaire Jr. won an epic 12-round showdown against Mexican Cesar Juarez last Dec. 10 in Puerto Rico via unanimous decision to bag the WBO Super-Bantamweight title.
In April, he will be defending that title against Mexican-Russian slugger Evgeny Gradovich, who is a former IBF world featherweight champion.
Donaire Jr. holds a record of 36 wins with 23 knockouts and three losses while Gradovich has 20 wins with nine knockouts coupled with a single loss and a single draw.
Donaire Jr.’s wish of fighting again in Manila came true after his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions, media giant ABS-CBN and ALA Promotions International came to terms to make the fight happen. The match is part of a three-fight deal for Donaire in 2016.
Donaire Jr. and Gradovich are not new to each other.
They were sparring partners when Donaire Jr. fought against Wilfredo Vasquez Jr.
In March this year, Donaire Jr. made his much awaited comeback at the Smart Araneta Coliseum against Brazilian William Prado, where he won via a second-round TKO and clinched the NABF bantamweight title. After that, Donaire Jr. flew to Macau and defeated French Anthony Settoul.
Gradovich won the featherweight title by split decision against Australian Billy Dib last 2013 and successfully defended it three times, including a rematch with the latter that ended in a unanimous-decision victory. He lost the title to Lee Silby by unanimous decision last May in London.