CEBU CITY – Not only Nonito Donaire was looking at retaining his WBO super bantamweight title against Hungarian Zsolt Bedak last night, he’s also setting his sights on facing some of the division’s best fighters.
Provided he puts on a smashing performance in front of local fans at the outdoor Cebu City Sports Center here, Donaire could get his chance at facing former Cuban foe Guillermo Rigondeaux or Irish boxer Carl Frampton.
Donaire’s fight with Bedak, his first since winning the vacant WBO belt last December over Mexican Cesar Suarez, is being treated as an “activity fight” which the Filipino Flash hopes would benefit him in the immediate future.
“For me, I’m just experimenting (for this fight) in a sense na where I lacked,” Donaire said. “Gusto ko makita ko yung kulang ko, because in the past I’ve had problems with boxers. Bedak is a boxer, so we want to commit to that weakness because ultimately we want to face Frampton or Rigondeau, and both of them are boxers.
“In a sense, it’s better (to have an activity fight) than nothing, Bedak has a style that I want to master and control. Eventually, it will always be an activity fight kung hindi sila Rigondeaux or si Frampton.”
Frampton currently holds the IBF super bantamweight crown but was stripped of the WBA version last week while Rigondeaux lost the WBO and WBA title belts late last year for inactivity.
Donaire is eager to exact revenge on Rigondeaux after losing the WBO crown on points in an April 2013 unification fight in New York City.
However, Donaire said making those fights a reality would depend on the promoters. He is currently with Top Rank, Rigondeaux is under Jay Z’s Roc Nation, while Frampton is linked with the reclusive Al Haymon and managed by Barry McGuigan.