Mathebula.
WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire expects IBF champion Jeffrey ?Mongoose? Mathebula of South Africa to stand and fight when they clash in a unification title bout at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on July 8, Manila Time.
Fight tapes of Mathebula who won the IBF title by a twelve round split decision in a rematch with Takalani Ndlovu last March 24 shows he is unlike two-division champion Omar Andres Narvaez who backpedaled all night against Donaire at New York?s famed Madison Square Garden and lost by a shutout that had fans booing in the middle rounds.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said ?the video we?ve seen of Mathebula shows he is a fighter that engages. He comes to fight.?
Filipino fight fans will get a chance to watch the IBF champion in his title winning fight against Takalani Ndlovu on Viva Sports ?The Main Event? on Sunday, July 1 at 11:00 a.m. on AKTV IBC 13 courtesy of Mathebula?s well-known promoter Branco Milenkovic.
Arum feels that Mathebula is the kind of fighter who will bring out the best in pound for pound No. 4 ranked Donaire who will be facing a taller opponent for the first time as the IBF champion stands 5?10? to Donaire who is 5?7?.
Mathebula has said he plans to use his height and reach advantage in the fight which has apparently made Donaire?s manager Cameron Dunkin very nervous.
However, Donaire?s trainer and former world champion Robert Garcia told the Manila Standard he is not worried because Donaire prefers to fight taller opponents.
Donaire himself told us he has never trained harder for a fight because Mathebula is somewhat of an unknown quantity and he doesn?t know what to expect.
Undefeated Filipino Mercito ?No Mercy? Gesta, his father Anecito and co-manager and trainer Vince Parra will be at ringside to watch the fight and support Donaire and so will be a large number of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans living in California.
Arum said that WBC super champion Toshiaki Nishioka who has been mentioned as a possible future opponent for Donaire will also be at ringside to check out Donaire.
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