Donaire wins 4th world title

Sunday, February 5, 2012

MANILA (Updated) -- Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire took a split decision against Wilfredo Vazquez of Puerto Rico to win the WBO junior featherweight title Sunday (Philippine time) at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Donaire, making his debut in the weight class, won 117-110 on two scorecards and lost 115-112. He controlled the bout despite breaking his left hand somewhere between the second and fourth rounds before a crowd of 14,120.

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“Vazquez was tougher than I expected. I couldn’t find my rhythm, and I hurt my hand somewhere between the second and fourth rounds. I could only move it a little bit,” Donaire, a three-time world champion, told ESPN.

Puerto Rico's Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (left) and Nonito Donaire of the Philippines exchange punches during the fifth round of their WBO junior featherweight title fight on Sunday (Manila time) at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. (AP)

After capturing world titles in the flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight divisions, Donaire proved just as powerful in moving up to junior featherweight.

Vazquez went down in the ninth, staggered by a left uppercut before being dropped by a left overhand. Vasquez rose quickly, smiling as the referee came over to give him a standing eight-count.

However, the Filipino Flash, who won his fourth world title in a fourth division, couldn’t pound on Vasquez because he felt his broken hand give.

“When I knocked him down in the ninth round, that was the end of the hand. I was in agony,” he said.

Donaire also stunned Vazquez in the third with a left-handed uppercut to the right temple.

After jumping from the super flyweight (115 pounds) division to the super bantamweight (122) in two years, Donaire said he has no plans of going up anew.

“I’m definitely staying at 122 for a while. There are things (trainer) Robert (Garcia) asked me to do that I couldn’t do so well, so we will go back to the drawing board,” he said.

Donaire’s promoter, Bob Arum, is also planning a mega-fight against Jorge Arce, who stopped Vasquez in 12 rounds on May 7, 2011.

“Let’s see what happens with his hand first. That will determine everything, but depending on the timing, we want him to face Arce next,” Arum told ESPN.

The 32-year-old Arce, who is 59-6-2 with 45 KOs, is scheduled to face Lorenzo Parra on February 18.

Donaire now hold a record of 28-1 with 18 knockouts, while Vasquez drops to 21-1-1 with 18 knockouts.

Sunday’s bout was Donaire’s first foray in the 122 pounds division. (AP/Sunnex)