THE FIRST title defense of five division world champion and current WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr against Hungarian Zsolt Bedak has been finalized after both camps came to terms with Top Rank Promotions.
The world title showdown is set April 9 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Metro Manila. It will be co-promoted by ALA Promotions International and media giant ABS-CBN.
Bedak, ranked number four in the division, is a replacement for Donaire’s initial opponent Evgeny Gradovich, who declined to sign the contract because of weight problems.
Instead, Gradovich signed up for a featherweight showdown on April 9 against Mexican Oscar Valdez in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley fight card at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to reports from Philboxing.com, Donaire’s manager Cameron Dunkin said they already spoke to Bedak and they already agreed to take the fight.
Donaire is with his family on a vacation in Palawan. He is expected to start training camp in Manila this week.
Bedak is a former member of the Hungarian Olympic team in the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he won over world champion Abner Mares.