Donaire to see action in Pacquiao-Vargas card

MANILA, Philippines – Two of the biggest names in Philippine boxing history will see action in the same card.

This after Top Rank Inc. chief Bob Arum announced that Nonito Donaire Jr. will fight Jessie Magdaleno as the co-main event of Manny Pacquiao’s comeback fight with Jessie Vargas on Nov. 5 in Las Vegas.

The veteran promoter said the decision to include Donaire in the card is to attract more Filipino fans to the venue.

“We are looking to do something really spectacular for all Filipino people,” Arum said in a report by ABS-CBN.

Arum said Donaire will likely defend his WBO super bantamweight title against Magdaleno (15-0, with 11 KOs), an undefeated prospect from Las Vegas, before Pacquiao takes on Vargas at the Thomas & Mack Center.

“When we made the fight, one of the reasons why we are in Thomas and Mack, it sets up so that we can have more than 6,000 seats that we are charging 50 dollars from, so that the Filipinos who come here who usually watch it on closed circuit can watch it for as low as 50 dollars,” he continued.

Donaire is coming off a TKO win over Zsolt Bedak, defending his belt in front of a home crowd Cebu City last April. He will get to do it again, this time in front of Filipino fans in Las Vegas.

“It (Thomas & Mack Center)’s gonna be packed with Filipino fans,” said Arum.