MANILA, Philippines - Floyd Mayweather Jr. is putting his money on Filipino Nonito Donaire Jr. who takes on Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux in a unification bout on April 13.
Word is out that the fight between Donaire and Rigondeaux will take place not in Las Vegas but in New York, most likely at the Radio City Music Hall.
Radio City is an iconic entertainment venue located in midtown Manhattan. It’s a perfect venue for the showdown that will surely entertain fight fans.
“People won’t like this but I’ll put it out there @filipinoflash (Donaire) will win VIA KO (knockout),†Mayweather twitted yesterday.
The reigning pound-for-pound champion is just calling it the way he sees it.
The 30-year-old Donaire is the reigning WBO super-bantamweight champion, and was the hands-down choice for the 2012 Fighter of the Year award.
He won four times last year and was perhaps the busiest among all boxing champions. He hasn’t lost a fight in 12 years, and is putting a lot at stake against Rigondeaux.
Rigondeaux, two years older, is the WBA champion in the 122 lb division. He is a two-time Olympic champion and is undefeated in 11 fights since turning pro in 2009.
Donaire is 31-1-0 with 20 knockouts, his only loss coming against Rosendo Sanchez on March 10, 2001, via a five-round decision in Vallejo, California.
Donaire wants to start the year the way he ended the previous one – with a third-round knockout of Jorge Arce at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Donaire wanted WBC Abner Mares instead of Rigondeaux but couldn’t seal the fight because their promoters, Top Rank and Golden Boy, couldn’t seal the deal.
Mares opted to move up to the featherweight division, and Donaire didn’t mind at all, moving on with his plans to be as busy as a bee this year.
Bob Arum of Top Rank had wanted to bring Donaire to Las Vegas but it was reported by www.maxboxing.com yesterday that the fight has landed in New York.
There was some difficulty making the fight because Rigondeaux demanded that Top Rank settle its legal dispute with Caribe Promotions.
There was no word if Top Rank did, but what was written was that Rigondeaux was offered $750,000 to fight Donaire. He won’t get as much against anyone else.
It’s not the first time Donaire will fight in New York where he outpointed Omar Narvaez at Madison Square Garden in October 2011 for the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles.
Donaire is ready to take another bite of the Big Apple.