MANILA, Philippines – With Manny Pacquiao’s recent retirement from boxing, WBO Super Bantamweight title-holder and five-division champion Nonito Donaire Jr. is now the Philippines’ biggest boxing draw and probably, the new alpha of Philippine boxing.
The former RING magazine Fighter of the Year will have an opportunity to cement his legacy further, while giving a preview of what Philippine boxing has in store, when he battles the dangerous Hungarian Zsolt Bedak in the main event of the Top Rank and ALA Promotions event “The Time Has Come” at the Cebu City Sports Center on April 23.
Donaire Jr., who like Pacquiao, has wowed the boxing world with powerful hits and knockouts that left foes devastated on the canvas, will be serving as the link between two generations: the era of Manny Pacquiao and the era of superstars-in-waiting Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo and Jason “El Nino” Pagara, who are both fighting in the undercard of the event.
“Donaire vs. Bedak: The Time Has Come” will be aired on free TV on ABS-CBN on April 24 at 8:30am, with a telecast on ABS-CBN Sports + Action on the same day at 1pm. Viewers can also watch it on high-definition on ABS-CBN Sports + Action HD Ch166 on April 25, 10pm.
Donaire Jr., who sports a career 36W-3L (23 KOs) record, is raring to stamp his class in his weight division and return to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings by going for a smashing victory over his opponent Bedak, who totes a 25-1 card and is known to throw a nasty left hook, which is Donaire’s weapon as well.
The reigning WBO Super bantamweight champ is out to put a good show in front of the Cebuanos as he fights for more glory, and a possible shot at more lucrative fights before he decides to call it a day. “I’m thankful the opportunity to be the best, and to be able to inspire the next generation of boxers,” Donaire said.
Meanwhile, the 20 year-old Magsayo (13-0, 10 KOs), who has won six of his last seven fights via knockout, will have his hands full against Chris Avalos (26-4, 19 KOs) in a fight for the vacant WBO International Featherweight title. Avalos is a super bantamweight counterpuncher who has held four different super bantamweight belts in his career, including the WBO Intercontinental Super Bantamweight title in 2011.
Twenty seven year old Pagara (37-2, 23 KOs), on the other hand, who is ranked number 1 in the WBO Super Lightweight division will deal with the tall and long Mexican knockout artist Miguel Zamudio (35-8, 21 KOs) who is three years younger at 24, and likes to utilize his 71-inch reach advantage.
This exciting world-class boxing event also features a super featherweight bout between Paul Fleming and Miguel Angel Gonzales. Bringing this world-class boxing action closer to Filipino fight fans is ABS-CBN, the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines.
Catch the fight LIVE, except in Cebu, on SkyCable and Destiny Cable Pay-Per-View on April 23. Overseas Filipinos may catch the bout live via TFC (The Filipino Channel) on TFC’s IPTV and online (TFC.tv). A primer dubbed “Flash Forward: Nonito Donaire Jr.” will air during the days leading up to fight night at different times of the day on ABS-CBN Sports + Action. Users of ABS-CBN TVplus and ABS-CBNmobile can catch the fight in the new Kapamilya Box Office (KBO) Channel by simply texting LABAN199 – followed by the 7-character box ID – to 2131 using ABS-CBNmobile SIM for only P199.
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