THE trainer/father of World Boxing Organization super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire said title challenger Zolst Bedak of Hungary is likely to try and pressure the champ in their title fight scheduled at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on April 23.
Dodong Donaire told The Standard/boxingmirror.com that Bedak likes to pressure his opponents and is likely to try and do the same against his son, but once he feels the power of the champion “he will run.”
He said the stockily built former Hungarian Olympian, who scored a big win over Abner Maresin the Athens Olympics in 2004 and who later became International Boxing Federation bantamweight and World Boxing Council featherweight world champion, is “fast but has no power and looks like an average fighter.”
Donaire, who will be honored as the Philippine Sportswriters Association Athlete of the Year, along with WBO light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes and champion golfer Miguel Tabuena, will fly to Las Vegas to continue his training for the Bedak title defense, which will be his first since winning the title for a second time with a lopsided unanimous decision over Cesar Juarez of Mexico in a brutal fight that was a contender for Fight of the Year.
Dodong Donaire said Fred Bowen is “the one I want him (Nonito) to spar with,” even as he indicated he was “looking for other sparring partners.”
Bowen was a sparring partner of Donaire when he was preparing for the Juarez fight.
The trainer/father of Donaire said they would return to Manila two weeks before the April 23 title defense.
Meantime, the manager of Bedak, Felix Racz told The Standard Bedak “could be a risky defense for Donaire because he is still hungry.”
He pointed out that the former Olympian had lost only once as a pro and that was in a world title fight against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. of Puerto Rico, “when he boxed with a broken jaw from the third round onwards.”
Bedak was dropped once in the 10th round and his corner threw in the towel shortly after that at 1:12 of the round.
In a clash for the WBO Intercontinental title on Dec. 4, 2009, Bedak scored a seventh-round knockout over Filipino veteran Ramie Laput, who entered the ring with a record of 39-3 with 19 knockouts.
