Pound-for-pound fighter Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire will contend for the WBO junior featherweight title against the Puerto Rican former titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. during a doubleheader titled “Welcome to the Future” at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, to be aired on ABS-CBN on Sunday (Feb 5), 10:15 a.m.
The co-main event, also a title fight, will be a battle between Mexican sluggers Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and first-ranked challenger Marco Antonio Rubio.
The three-division world champion Donaire (27-1-0 18 KOs), who will stake his 26-bout winning streak, will once again be traipsing into new territory as he climbs up to the 122-pound class, a division once ruled by the younger Vazquez (21-1-1 18 KOs).
The pugilist from Puerto Rico entrenched himself in the title in 2010, when he knocked out General Santos City-native Marvin Sonsona. Vazquez Jr, the son of former world champion Wilfredo Vazquez Sr, defended the title twice, but fell prey to the Mexican fighter Jorge Arce in 2011.
Arce has since relinquished the title in order to fight at 118 pounds and Vazquez is poised to reclaim glory. But for Donaire, who was the Philippine Sportswriters Association’s co-Athlete of the Year for 2011, it may be an opportune time to embellish his resume with yet another division title.
