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Avila Perspective, Chap. 138: Ageless Nonito Donaire, Mayweather and More

As Nonito Donaire gazed at his fallen victim, the much younger and seemingly stronger bantamweight world champion Nordine Oubaali, it was a stark reminder that youth, strength and hype do not equate to certain victory.
Age has its pitfalls, but skills pay the bills.
While Donaire proved once again that he’s destined for boxing’s Hall of Fame, he also sent out a three-ring alarm that he’s still a dangerous player on the world stage. Do not count him out.
All weekend the older veterans of not just the boxing world, but golf, Indy racing and tennis proved that experience that comes with age is still a major factor in sporting competition.
While Donaire was knocking out Oubaali, 300 miles away Jorge Linares nearly did the same to Devin Haney. And in other sports Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship, Helio Castroneves won the Indy 500 and Rafael Nadal is gunning for a 14th French Open title.
As Napoleon Dynamite once said: “you got skills.”
For decades now Donaire (pictured on the left) has proven over and over again that he’s more than a just a knockout artist. At the advanced boxing age of 38 the fighter known as “Filipino Flash” drew Oubaali into his line of fire and dropped him like a worn-out sparring partner.
It’s been quite a journey.
Hollywood Park
Just by luck I happened to see Nonito Donaire’s professional debut 20 years ago. It was not too far from the Dignity Health Sports Park that he laced up professionally for the first time at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, California.
I was there to see Fernando “Bobby Boy” Velardez, a super tough kid from San Bernardino who would later fight for a world title against Erik Morales. On that same card a young female fighter Karen Martin would win by vicious knockout. Donaire would also win by quick knockout over a kid named Jose Lazaro.
Inexplicably Donaire would lose his next fight in Northern California by decision in a five-round bout to Rosendo Sanchez. After that he would not lose another fight for 12 years.
I saw Donaire fight one more time at Hollywood Park Casino and then it took another three years before he fought in Southern California at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello. A tough Mexican kid named Ricardo Barrera lasted four rounds until Donaire broke him down.
It was easy to see Donaire was simply too fast, too agile and could hit a ton with that left hook and right cross. Few could match his athleticism enough to test his skills until he met another Southern California hopeful at the Pechanga Casino in Temecula in January 2006.
Kahren Harutyunyan was a short, sturdy and ultra-intelligent fighter from Glendale, California who never looked for the easy fights. With Donaire he knew what to expect but when the Filipino Flash dropped him in the second round, it did not look like it would last much longer.
It did.
Harutyunyan and Donaire would trade blows for 10 entire rounds and after the torrid super flyweight NABF title fight, Donaire won by split decision.
I’ll never forget what Harutyunyan said after the fight: “I wish I had longer arms.” He would fight once more then graduate from UCLA and become a businessman. He also would later promote dozens of boxing cards in Southern California.
Donaire probably ended a lot of boxing careers. But that night he proved he was more than just super athletic, he also showcased boxing skills that allowed him to defeat tough competitors with chins of steel. Those skills were extremely necessary one year later when he clashed with another Armenian fighter named Vic “The Destroyer” Darchinyan.
IBF world champion Darchinyan was a southpaw wrecking machine who had defeated Nonito’s brother Glenn Donaire a year earlier and nearly killed Jose Victor Burgos with a 12-round battering. Burgos was sent to the hospital with a brain bleed but recovered and never fought again.
Donaire met Darchinyan in Connecticut and quickly displayed his ability to dart in and out with jabs and counters before receiving fire. And when Darchinyan charged in during the fifth round and he ran into a Donaire left hook and it was over.
It was the beginning of Donaire’s reign and recognition as one of prizefighting’s most exciting fighters. Many would include Donaire on their pound-for-pound top-10 lists.
“Three of my biggest fights were Darchinyan, Fernando Montiel and Naoya Inoue,” says Donaire who thinks a rematch with Inoue should be in order.
After 20 years as a prizefighter Donaire has returned to the forefront as the WBC bantamweight world titlist immediately after losing a razor close decision to Inoue in Japan. It proves that despite two decades fighting many of the best in the world, he maintains two vital and necessary elements to remain an elite prizefighter: skills and power.
“I’m still doing it and I’m healthy. I’m not going out there partying,” said Donaire. “I have an amazing wonderful wife. She taught me to be healthy.”
Donaire expects the championship journey to continue.
“I have a great talent, great reflexes and a great mind to get better,” said Donaire who lives and trains in Las Vegas. “That’s why I’m still excited after 20 years.”
Mayweather and Others on PPV
Floyd Mayweather returns to fight another exhibition with another non-boxer when he meets Logan Paul on Sunday June 6, at 5 p.m. PT from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Showtime pay-per-view will televise the entire boxing card.
Paul may not be a fighter but he has tremendous power in his punches. Mayweather, of course, is harder to hit than a gnat in a hurricane.
Former super welterweight titlist Jarrett Hurd (24-1) meets Luis Arias (18-2-1) in a middleweight scrap set for 10 rounds. Also, Badou Jack (23-3-3) fights undefeated Derwin Colina (15-0), a late replacement for Jean Pascal who failed a PED test.
Four Kings on Showtime
Not to belittle the documentary “The Four Kings” that will be debuting on Sunday, June 6 at 8 p.m. PT on Showtime, but most fans fail to realize that they did not fight each other all within a short period. It took nearly a decade for them to face each other.
It started with Sugar Ray Leonard meeting Robert Duran for the welterweight world championship in Montreal, Canada. They called it the “Brawl in Montreal” and it lived up to expectations. That took place in 1980. Then followed Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns and so forth until Leonard clashed with Marvin Hagler in 1987.
In between those seven years there was a lot of back and forth conversations, retirements and comebacks. But yes, they all fought each other and it was magical.
Thompson Boxing Promotions
On Sunday June 6, Michael Dutchover (14-1) meets Ivan Benitez (14-4-1) in an eight- round lightweight match at Omega Products International in Corona, California. Also, undefeated super welterweight Richard Brewart (9-0) and Donte Stubbs (6-1) tangle in the semi-main event. Both come from the Inland Empire area and are familiar with each other.
The Thompson Boxing Promotion card will be shown on its web site at 2:30 p.m. PT. Go to this link: www.Thompsonboxing.com
Fights to Watch
Sat. ESPN+ 11 a.m. Daniel Dubois (15-1) vs. Bogdan Dinu (20-2) WBA interim heavyweight title in Telford, England.
Sun. WWW.Thompsonboxing.com 2:30 p.m. PT Michael Dutchover (14-1) vs Ivan Benitez (14-4-1).
Sun. Showtime ppv 5:30 p.m. PT Jarrett Hurd (24-1) vs Luis Arias (18-2-1); Badou Jack (23-3-3) vs Derwin Colina (15-0); Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul exhibition.
Photo credit: Esther Lin / Showtime
Check out more boxing news on video at the Boxing Channel
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Gabriela Fundora KOs Marilyn Badillo and Perez Upsets Conwell in Oceanside

It was just a numbers game for Gabriela Fundora and despite Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo’selusive tactics it took the champion one punch to end the fight and retain her undisputed flyweight world title by knockout on Saturday.
Will it be her last flyweight defense?
Though Fundora (16-0, 8 KOs) fired dozens of misses, a single punch found Badillo (19-1-1, 3 KOs) and ended her undefeated career and first attempt at a world title at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.
Fundora, however, proves unbeatable at flyweight.
The champion entered the arena as the headliner for the Golden Boy Promotion show and stepped through the ropes with every physical advantage possible, including power.
Mexico’s Badillo was a midget compared to Fundora but proved to be as elusive as a butterfly in a menagerie for the first six rounds. As the six-inch taller Fundora connected on one punch for every dozen thrown, that single punch was a deadly reminder.
Badillo tried ducking low and slipping to the left while countering with slashing uppercuts, she found little success. She did find the body a solid target but the blows proved to be useless. And when Badillo clinched, that proved more erroneous as Fundora belted her rapidly during the tie-ups.
“She was kind of doing her ducking thing,” said Fundora describing Badillo’s defensive tactics. “I just put the pressure on. It was just like a train. We didn’t give her that break.”
The Mexican fighter tried valiantly with various maneuvers. None proved even slightly successful. Fundora remained poised and under control as she stalked the challenger.
In the seventh round Badillo seemed to take a stand and try to slug it out with Fundora. She quickly was lit up by rapid left crosses and down she went at 1:44 of the seventh round. The Mexican fighter’s corner wisely waved off the fight and referee Rudy Barragan stopped the fight and held the dazed Badillo upright.
Once again Fundora remained champion by knockout. The only question now is will she move up to super flyweight or bantamweight to challenge the bigger girls.
Perez Beats Conwell.
Mexico’s Jorge “Chino” Perez (33-4, 26 KOs) upset Charles Conwell (21-1, 15 KOs) to win by split decision after 12 rounds in their super welterweight showdown.
It was a match that paired two hard-hitting fighters whose ledgers brimmed with knockouts, but neither was able to score a knockdown against each other.
Neither fighter moved backward. It was full steam ahead with Conwell proving successful to the body and head with left hooks and Perez connecting with rights to the head and body. It was difficult to differentiate the winner.
Though Conwell seemed to be the superior defensive fighter and more accurate, two judges preferred Perez’s busier style. They gave the fight to Perez by 115-113 scores with the dissenter favoring Conwell by the same margin.
It was Conwell’s first pro loss. Maybe it will open doors for more opportunities.
Other Bouts
Tristan Kalkreuth (15-1) managed to pass a serious heat check by unanimous decision against former contender Felix Valera (24-8) after a 10-round back-and-forth heavyweight fight.
It was very close.
Kalkreuth is one of those fighters that possess all the physical tools including youth and size but never seems to be able to show it. Once again he edged past another foe but at least this time he faced an experienced fighter in Valera.
Valera had his moments especially in the middle of the 10-round fight but slowed down during the last three rounds.
One major asset for Kalkreuth was his chin. He got caught but still motored past the clever Valera. After 10 rounds two judges saw it 99-91 and one other judge 97-93 all for Kalkreuth.
Highly-rated prospect Ruslan Abdullaev (2-0) blasted past dangerous Jino Rodrigo (13- 5-2) in an eight round super lightweight fight. He nearly stopped the very tough Rodrigo in the last two rounds and won by unanimous decision.
Abdullaev is trained by Joel and Antonio Diaz in Indio.
Bakersfield prospect Joel Iriarte (7-0, 7 KOs) needed only 1:44 to knock out Puerto Rico’s Marcos Jimenez (25-12) in a welterweight bout.
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‘Krusher’ Kovalev Exits on a Winning Note: TKOs Artur Mann in his ‘Farewell Fight’

At his peak, former three-time world light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev ranked high on everyone’s pound-for-pound list. Now 42 years old – he turned 42 earlier this month – Kovalev has been largely inactive in recent years, but last night he returned to the ring in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and rose to the occasion in what was billed as his farewell fight, stopping Artur Mann in the seventh frame.
Kovalev hit his peak during his first run as a world title-holder. He was 30-0-1 (26 KOs) entering first match with Andre Ward, a mark that included a 9-0 mark in world title fights. The only blemish on his record was a draw that could have been ruled a no-contest (journeyman Grover Young was unfit to continue after Kovalev knocked down in the second round what with was deemed an illegal rabbit punch). Among those nine wins were two stoppages of dangerous Haitian-Canadian campaigner Jean Pascal and a 12-round shutout over Bernard Hopkins.
Kovalev’s stature was not diminished by his loss to the undefeated Ward. All three judges had it 114-113, but the general feeling among the ringside press was that Sergey nicked it.
The rematch was also somewhat controversial. Referee Tony Weeks, who halted the match in the eighth stanza with Kovalev sitting on the lower strand of ropes, was accused of letting Ward get away with a series of low blows, including the first punch of a three-punch series of body shots that culminated in the stoppage. Sergey was wobbled by a punch to the head earlier in the round and was showing signs of fatigue, but he was still in the fight. Respected judge Steve Weisfeld had him up by three points through the completed rounds.
Sergey Kovalev was never the same after his second loss to Andre Ward, albeit he recaptured a piece of the 175-pound title twice, demolishing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt after Ward announced his retirement and then avenging a loss to Eleider Alvarez (TKO by 7) with a comprehensive win on points in their rematch.
Kovalev’s days as a title-holder ended on Nov. 2, 2019 when Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to pursue a title in a fourth weight division, stopped him in the 11th round, terminating what had been a relatively even fight with a hellacious left-right combination that left Krusher so discombobulated that a count was superfluous.
That fight went head-to-head with a UFC fight in New York City. DAZN, to their everlasting discredit, opted to delay the start of Canelo-Kovalev until the main event of the UFC fight was finished. The delay lasted more than an hour and Kovalev would say that he lost his psychological edge during the wait.
Kovalev had two fights in the cruiserweight class between his setback to Canelo and last night’s presumptive swan song. He outpointed Tervel Pulev in Los Angeles and lost a 10-round decision to unheralded Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Artur Mann, a former world title challenger – he was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in 2021 when Briedis was recognized as the top cruiserweight in the world – was unexceptional, but the 34-year-old German, born in Kazakhstan, wasn’t chopped liver either, and Kovalev’s stoppage of him will redound well to the Russian when he becomes eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame.
Krusher almost ended the fight in the second round. He knocked Mann down hard with a short left hand and seemingly scored another knockdown before the round was over (but it was ruled a slip). Mann barely survived the round.
In the next round, a punch left Mann with a bad cut on his right eyelid, but the German came to fight and rounds three, four and five were competitive.
Kovalev had a good sixth round although there were indications that he was tiring. But in the seventh he got a second wind and unleashed a right-left combination that rolled back the clock to the days when he was one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Mann went down hard and as he staggered to his feet, his corner signaled that the fight should be stopped and the referee complied. The official time was 0:49 of round seven. It was the 30th KO for Kovalev who advanced his record to 36-5-1.
Addendum: History informs us that Farewell Fights have a habit of becoming redundant, by which we mean that boxers often get the itch to fight again after calling it quits. Have we seen the last of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev? We woudn’t bet on it.
The complete Kovalev-Mann fight card was live-streamed on the Boxing News youtube channel.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welterweight Week in SoCal

Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.
One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.
Take your pick.
The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.
Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.
Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.
If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.
He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.
During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.
Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.
Fundora
Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.
Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.
Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.
Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.
Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?
When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.
This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.
Commerce Casino
Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.
Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.
It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.
Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?
That’s a question for another day.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).
Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).
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