Magdaleno next opponent for Donaire?

MANILA, Philippines - WBO superbantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. isn’t thinking of his next fight at the moment but unbeaten No. 1 contender Jessie Magdaleno appears to be the likely opponent in line for a shot at the Filipino Flash’s 122-pound throne.

Donaire, 33, just finished participating in a six-day seminar entitled “Date With Destiny” conducted by motivational speaker, best-selling author and personal finance instructor Tony Robbins in the Gold Coast, Australia and will join his family for a two-week holiday in Hawaii this weekend before returning home to Las Vegas. Robbins, a self-made multi-millionaire, is the author of several books including “Money: Master the Game,” “Unleash the Power Within,” “Awaken the Giant,” and “Unlimited Power.” He has reached out to more than 50 million people from over 100 countries and his clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, heads of state and high-profile athletes.

Last April 23, Donaire retained his crown via a third round stoppage of Hungarian challenger Zsolt Bedak before a crowd of 30,000 in an open-air, makeshift ring at the Cebu City Sports Complex. It was a voluntary defense of the vacant title he won by outpointing Mexico’s Cesar Juarez in Puerto Rico last December. The next defense will be mandatory against the No. 1 contender.

Taekwondo coach Brian Singer, who was in Donaire’s corner in Cebu, said it was a clinical demolition of Bedak. “Jun executed with precision,” he said. “I think Bedak’s plan was to box Jun but when he got hit with a big shot on the side of the body late in the first round, he knew he wouldn’t be able to survive so he went for broke. That was a mistake. The things that Jun did to perfection were to work the combinations, bang the body, use the right straight lead and throw the left uppercut.”

Known for his left hook, Bedak had more success with his overhand right and buzzed Donaire at least twice with the blow. But Donaire’s volume punching took a toll and in the third round, he split Bedak’s lip. Blood dripped from the cut as Bedak went down on a knee. Referee Russell Mora gave a mandatory eight-count then asked Bedak if he wanted to continue. Bedak looked at his corner and didn’t answer, prompting Mora to wave it off. He was decked twice in the second round. The cut was later sewn up with 12 stitches.

“Jun was virtually unmarked,” said Singer who has accompanied Donaire to the Philippines in five trips. “Jun gets red easy so you can tell right away if he got hit. Actually, the cut he had in the Juarez fight still hadn’t healed completely but it wasn’t a problem. Jun took care of business.”

Singer said half-jokingly that his job in the corner was to provide air-conditioning in Cebu. “We were worried about Jun getting dehydrated because of the heat and humidity with the open-air conditions,” he said. “So we used five cooling towels that we put on his back and nape and ice bags on both his ears in between rounds. Jun’s body temperature was fine. He never got affected by the heat.”

Singer said he heard Bedak is considering to retire from the ring after taking the battering from Donaire. “I don’t think he’s been beaten up so severely in his career,” said Singer. “Bedak was coming off 10 straight wins so he’s taking the loss badly.”

While no next opponent has been mentioned for Donaire, it appears that Magdaleno has the inside track. The Las Vegas southpaw, 24, has a 23-0 record, with 17 KOs, including eight in the first round. Last February, he stopped Rey Perez in the seventh in Phoenix. Magdaleno turned pro in 2010 and is promoted by Top Rank like Donaire.

As for Donaire, he’s not in the habit of picking opponents but his goal is to take on the world’s best or whomever Top Rank puts in front of him. A rematch with Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux, recently reinstated as WBA champion, looms in the horizon. In 2013, Rigondeaux survived a knockdown to outpoint Donaire in New York City. The problem is Rigondeaux isn’t a crowd drawer and promoting his fights is a challenge.

Belfast’s Carl Frampton, who unified the WBA and IBF superbantamweight titles with a win over Scott Quigg by split decision last February, would’ve been a perfect opponent for Donaire but he’s moving up to featherweight and will face WBA champion Leo Santa Cruz in Brooklyn on July 30. Frampton has been stripped of the WBA belt and may likely lose the IBF version, too. The WBA elevated Rigondeaux, formerly the champion “in recess,” to the throne in Frampton’s place. The Cuban has been ordered to stake the WBA title against unbeaten Mexican Moises Flores on or before Aug. 1. Failure to defend it will mean stripping Rigondeaux of the title. Flores, 29, is slated to take on Paulus Ambunda in Windhoek, Namibia, tonight.   

If the IBF throne is declared vacant, maybe Donaire could move in to unify the WBO and IBF championships against an opponent like Quigg. The Englishman may be picked to fight for the vacant title since he was the WBA champion when he lost to Frampton in their unification duel. Quigg, however, fractured his jaw in the fight and may not be readily available to get back into the ring.

Donaire has won four in a row, including three by KO, since losing to Nicholas Walters in October 2014. His career is clearly back on track and Donaire is looking forward to more big-ticket fights. He has held the IBF flyweight, interim WBA superflyweight, WBO/WBC bantamweight, WBO/IBF superbantamweight and WBA featherweight titles since turning pro in 2001. His record is 37-3, with 24 KOs.