ABS-CBNnews.com
MANILA, Philippines – World super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire will be entering uncharted territory when he defends his WBO belt against South African boxer Jeffrey Mathebula on July 7 in California.
At 5-foot-10, Mathebula will have a three-inch height advantage over Donaire, something The Filipino Flash is wary of.
“I’ve never been in this territory before where I’m fighting a guy who is taller than me,” Donaire told Ronnie Nathanielsz in a Boxing Scene interview.
“He’s 5-foot-10 and is really taller than me, and I always fought opponents who were shorter than me so I need to change in every way,” he added.
Mathebula, who holds the IBF super bantamweight championship, holds a record of 14 wins, three losses and two draws.
“He is a decent boxer,” Donaire said of Mathebula. “I can understand why he won a decision against (Panama’s) Celestino Caballero. He knows how to use his jab. He can box, but his power is not as dominant.”
Donaire is already preparing his game plan and thinking of ways to neutralize Mathebula’s height advantage.
“If he uses his jab, I got to get around the jab. I have to have a lot of head movement and at the same time, use lateral movements. You need strong legs,” he said.
He also expects to use more of his power rather than his technical boxing skills against his taller foe.
“I will be able to use a lot of my power, a lot of my speed than when I’m against a shorter fighter, where I have to be more of a boxer. This time, I can use my power against the taller guy,” Donaire said.
“The Filipino Flash” guaranteed that he will be in “awesome shape” when he fights Mathebula, as he is “training harder than I ever trained in my life.”
“We’ll see how it goes on fight night, but we are very excited about this fight,” Donaire added.
Donaire is coming off a split decision victory against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. last February.
MANILA, Philippines – World super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire will be entering uncharted territory when he defends his WBO belt against South African boxer Jeffrey Mathebula on July 7 in California.
At 5-foot-10, Mathebula will have a three-inch height advantage over Donaire, something The Filipino Flash is wary of.
“I’ve never been in this territory before where I’m fighting a guy who is taller than me,” Donaire told Ronnie Nathanielsz in a Boxing Scene interview.
“He’s 5-foot-10 and is really taller than me, and I always fought opponents who were shorter than me so I need to change in every way,” he added.
Mathebula, who holds the IBF super bantamweight championship, holds a record of 14 wins, three losses and two draws.
“He is a decent boxer,” Donaire said of Mathebula. “I can understand why he won a decision against (Panama’s) Celestino Caballero. He knows how to use his jab. He can box, but his power is not as dominant.”
Donaire is already preparing his game plan and thinking of ways to neutralize Mathebula’s height advantage.
“If he uses his jab, I got to get around the jab. I have to have a lot of head movement and at the same time, use lateral movements. You need strong legs,” he said.
He also expects to use more of his power rather than his technical boxing skills against his taller foe.
“I will be able to use a lot of my power, a lot of my speed than when I’m against a shorter fighter, where I have to be more of a boxer. This time, I can use my power against the taller guy,” Donaire said.
“The Filipino Flash” guaranteed that he will be in “awesome shape” when he fights Mathebula, as he is “training harder than I ever trained in my life.”
“We’ll see how it goes on fight night, but we are very excited about this fight,” Donaire added.
Donaire is coming off a split decision victory against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. last February.
