Notebook: Donaire 'proud' to defend world title against fellow Filipino Gaballo
Santa Cruz decision time; Commey excited for Loma fight; TR signs 'Shu Shu'; Quick hits; Show and tell
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A world title fight between fighters from the Philippines is rare but there is one on tap and the combatants have shown nothing but respect for each other outside the ring.
Four-division champion Nonito Donaire, a surefire Hall of Famer, will defend his WBC bantamweight title for the first time when he faces countryman, interim titleholder and mandatory challenger Reymart Gaballo in the main event of a Showtime-televised card on Saturday (10 p.m. ET) at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
“I’m proud that there is another Filipino fighting at this level,” said Donaire, sitting next to Gaballo at the pre-fight news conference on Thursday. “I’m happy to be sharing the ring with Reymart. I know he’s very hungry and that he has a big dream, just like everyone in the Philippines. I know that he’s going to be at his best, so I made sure that I’m prepared and at my best as well.
“This is a gentleman’s sport. It gives credibility to a fighter if he can speak with sportsmanship. It’s not about talking down to other people. I believe the greater man can look into his opponent’s eyes, shake hands with him and then go for the kill when they’re in the ring.”
Gaballo certainly has ample respect for Donaire. He will be facing an opponent he reveres.
“It’s an honor to fight my idol in the ring,” Gaballo said. “I’m so excited to compete on Saturday night for the world championship.”
Donaire won the title in impressive fashion in his last fight when he knocked out Nordine Oubaali in the fourth round to take the 118-pound title on May 20, also in Carson. Donaire, 38 at the time, broke his own record as the oldest fighter to win a bantamweight world title.
Gaballo won the vacant interim belt in his last fight last December when he won a split decision over former titleholder Emmanuel Rodriguez. That victory put Gaballo in position to be the mandatory challenger.
Even though Donaire preferred to face unified champion Naoya Inoue in a rematch of their 2019 fight of the year, which Inoue won via highly competitive decision — and Inoue also wanted to face Donaire again — Donaire was ordered to fight Gaballo next in the mandatory fight.
Donaire still hopes to fight Inoue again down the road. Their first fight showed that even in the twilight of his career Donaire still has a lot left.
“For me, after the Naoya Inoue fight, I saw that I still had a purpose in this sport,” Donaire said. “I came in strong against Nordine Oubaali in my last fight because I have that purpose. That purpose is to become undisputed champion of the world.
“I’ve faced a lot of top guys with great power like Gaballo has. My experience allows me to have no fear of the power. We’re just focused on our strategy and how I can take advantage of his style. I’m here enjoying this moment and every moment I have left in my career. In the gym, I feel like I can do this for another 10 years. I just take it one fight at a time and I’m grateful for every moment of it.”
Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs), who fights out of Las Vegas, plans to make whatever time he has left in the ring count.
“I love the sport of boxing. It’s given me everything that I have and I’m going to represent the sport with honor and integrity,” Donaire said. “I’m going to leave it up to my team as to what we do next. Having said that, I’m going to go after all of the other bantamweight champions.
“Reymart is a really good fighter, but I’m very confident. I have bigger fish to go after following this fight. We’re both going to do our best but victory is the only thing I’m here for.”
Gaballo (24-0, 20 KOs), 25, said he is not about to count the 39-year-old Donaire out.
“Age is just a number,” Gaballo said. “I know that Donaire’s movement is still there, just like it’s always been. We’re not going to rely on my youth as the only thing I need in this fight.”
There are three other bouts scheduled for the telecast:
Welterweight Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (18-0, 10 KOs), 28, an Uzbekistan native fighting out of Malaysia and Errol Spence Jr.’s IBF mandatory challenger, will risk his position against Cody Crowley (19-0, 9 KOs), 28, a Canadian southpaw, in a 10-rounder.
Junior welterweight prospect Brandun Lee (23-0, 21 KOs), 22, of La Quinta, California, will face Juan Heraldez (16-1-1, 10 KOs), 31, of Las Vegas, in a 10-rounder
The telecast will open with a replay of Gervonta Davis’ all-action decision win over Isaac Cruz to retain his secondary lightweight belt last Sunday in the main event of a Showtime PPV card.
Santa Cruz must decide
Leo Santa Cruz holds the WBA featherweight title but he has not defended it in nearly three years, since winning a lopsided unanimous decision over Rafael Rivera in February 2019.
But Santa Cruz (37-2-1, 19 KOs), 33, of Rosemead, California, has fought twice since, just in a different weight class. He won the vacant WBA junior lightweight title by unanimous decision against Miguel Flores in November 2019 and then got knocked out by Gervonta Davis in the sixth round in a fight for both the junior lightweight and WBA secondary lightweight belts on October 2020.
He has not fought since and now the WBA, as it continues its title reduction plan, has asked him to notify the organization by Monday if he plans to fight at featherweight again. Santa Cruz likely won’t fight at 126 pounds again, so the title would become vacant and leave one titleholder in the division, current secondary titlist Leigh Wood, who is due to face Michael Conlan early next year.
I obtained the letter the WBA sent to Santa Cruz asking him about his plans. See that letter below.
Commey confident
Richard Commey has experienced the highest of highs in boxing and the lowest of lows.
The high was when he destroyed Isa Chaniev in the second round to win the vacant IBF lightweight world title in February 2019 and successfully defended the belt by eighth-round knockout of Ray Beltran in four months later.
The lowest of lows was when he got knocked out in the second round of his second title defense and lost the belt to Teofimo Lopez in December 2019. Through it all, Commey maintained an even keel. Never too high, never too low.
He rebounded from the loss this past February and looked sharp, knocking out fringe contender Jackson Marinez in the sixth round. And now he has a chance for another major fight when he faces former unified champion and former pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko in the 12-round main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, where Commey suffered that knockout loss.
I spoke to Commey about dealing with the knockout and loss of his title and what he expects from Lomachenko for The Ring magazine website at RingTV.com. Please read that story here:
“Shu Shu” signs with Top Rank
Top Rank announced it has signed Brooklyn, New York, featherweight prospect Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (1-0, 0 KOs), 24, and introduced him at the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey pre-fight news conference on Thursday.
Carrington was not signed when Top Rank put him on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III undercard on Oct. 9 and he won a four-round decision in his pro debut.
Carrington, who won the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials at 125 pounds, will have his first fight of the promotional deal on Jan. 15 on the Joe Smith Jr.-Callum Johnson undercard at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
“Bruce Carrington is one of the great American amateurs of his generation, and he has the makeup and skills to be a future world champion,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “He stood out on the Fury-Wilder III card as someone whose amateur success will translate to the pro ranks."
Carrington, who has boxed since he was 7 and is trained by Kay Koroma, missed an opportunity to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics after the American qualifiers were canceled in 2020 and 2021.
“I’ve always admired how Top Rank develops young fighters into champions,” Carrington said. “I see myself having a long career, and I am excited to perform on ESPN’s platforms. I’ve always had a pro style, and after the Olympic Trials, I knew I was ready to take the next step.”
His nickname — “Shu Shu” — means “the one who rises above all” in Egyptian. He was the eighth seed at the Olympic Trials and defeated eventual Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan, who is now also with Top Rank.
Quick hits
Promoter Don King on Thursday won the purse bid for the mandatory fight between WBA “regular” heavyweight titlist Trevor Bryan (21-0, 15 KOs) and “in recess” titlist Mahmoud Charr (32-4, 18 KOs). King, who promotes Bryan, was the only bidder, offering $1,000,101.80. Charr’s team did not even attend the purse bid. The money is to be split 50-50 between the fighters. King said he plans to hold the fight on Jan. 29 in Warren, Ohio, on the card he already announced that includes WBC cruiserweight titlist Ilunga Makabu’s mandatory defense against Thabiso Mchunu. Because of past issues getting the Bryan-Charr fight in the ring, the WBA required King to put up 25 percent of the winning bid ($250,025.45) rather than the typical 10 percent. Contracts are due back to the WBA by no later than Dec. 29.
A rematch between junior welterweights Petros Ananyan (16-2-2, 7 KOs), 33, an Armenia native fighting out of Brooklyn, New York, and Subriel Matias (17-1, 17 KOs), 29, of Puerto Rico, is in the works, a source with knowledge of the deal told Fight Freaks Unite. If the fight is finalized it would take place Jan. 22 at an East Coast venue to be determined on Showtime. It would be on the undercard of WBC featherweight titlist Gary Russell Jr.’s mandatory defense against Mark Magsayo. Ananyan dropped Matias in the seventh round and handed him lone loss in February 2020 on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder II undercard. The judges scored it 96-93, 96-94 and 95-94. Ananyan has won his only fight since and Matias rebounded to win both of his fights since.
Former unified cruiserweight titlist Murat Gassiev (28-1, 21 KOs), 28, of Russia, due to take part in his third fight since moving up to heavyweight against Andriy Rudenko (34-5, 20 KOs), 38, of Ukraine, on Dec. 25 in Russia, has withdrawn from the fight. According to co-promoter Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing, Gassiev broke his hand in training and will be sidelined. Gassiev has had various injuries that have kept him idle for long stretches since his lone loss by lopsided decision to Oleksandr Usyk when they met for the undisputed cruiserweight title in the World Boxing Super Series final in July 2018.
Show and tell
It came as no surprise this week when the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s class of 2022 was announced and Roy Jones Jr. was among those elected. It was Jones’ first year on the ballot and he was lock to be voted in by the Boxing Writers Association of America (of which I am longtime member) and a panel of international boxing historians. Jones is simply one of the greatest fighters of all time. He’s the best fighter I’ve ever covered live in my 21 years at ringside. He could do it all. He had awesome speed and reflexes, tremendous power in both hands and rarely got hit cleanly during his heyday. His career achievements are impressive: an Olympic silver medal in 1988 (robbed of gold due to proven corruption), world titles in four divisions (middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight), the BWAA fighter of the decade award for the 1990s and the first former middleweight champion to win a heavyweight title in 106 years.
Jones (66-9, 47 KOs) may have had a slow fade and some bad knockout losses over the last few years of his career, but from 1994 to 2004 he the untouchable pound-for-pound king. In honor of his election to the HOF, here is a program in my collection from his professional debut on May 6, 1989, when he fought in his hometown of Pensacola, Florida, and knocked out Ricky Randall in the second round.
Donaire-Gaballo photo: Esther Lin/Showtime; Commey photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
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Amazing Donaire is still so good at his age in the lower divisions.
Gassiev's career since his fight with Uysk and moving to heavyweight has been nothing but disappointing.
Injuries, issues with Matchroom (wonder why still - because Matchroom matches their fighters tough?) and now another injury. That too bad - he's somewhat limited skill wise but super exciting to watch.