Gradovich next in Donaire’s list

MANILA, Philippines - WBO superbantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. is enjoying his break from the ring to celebrate Christmas and the coming of the New Year in Manila but boxing is never far from his mind.

The other day, Donaire disclosed that Russia’s Evgeny Gradovich is next in line as his opponent. It will be an optional title defense on April 16 or 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Donaire, however, said the fight isn’t cast in stone and negotiations will begin after the holidays. No contract has been drawn up at the moment.

Gradovich, 29, will drop down in weight to challenge Donaire for the 122-pound title. The 5-8 right-hander turned pro in a fight where he scaled 131 pounds in Kentucky in March 2010, disposing of Travis Bedwell in one round. He’s never fought at less than 125 pounds and in his most recent outing last October, weighed 127 in beating Brazil’s Aldimar Silva Santos over eight rounds by split decision in Nebraska. Gradovich, a former IBF featherweight champion, is signed to face Mexico’s Jesus Galicia in a 10-rounder in Spain on Jan. 9.

“From what I know, the fight will be a co-promotion of Top Rank and ABS-CBN,” said Donaire who flew in last Dec. 17 and plans to stay in town with wife Rachel and sons Jarel, 2, and Logan, eight months old, until the end of January. “I’ve got an optional defense coming up and Top Rank and my manager (Cameron Dunkin) are looking at Gradovich. Then, it could be Jessie Magdaleno who’s ranked No. 3. Araneta is the choice for the site of my next fight because of its boxing history and accessibility to the public.”

Donaire, 33, was recently signed to a one-year contract by Top Rank. He’s slated to see action for three fights in the new Top Rank deal next year. Gradovich also has a Top Rank contract so arranging a fight won’t be difficult.

“Gradovich is a volume puncher,” said Donaire. “His defense is wide open and he’s not a hard hitter. But he’s a former world featherweight champion, he’s naturally bigger than me with a lot of amateur experience. I’m not taking him lightly.”

Gradovich compiled a 126-24 record as an amateur. He was nicknamed “The Mexican Russian” because his aggressive style is what Mexican fighters are known for. Gradovich was brought to the US by his manager Egis Klimas and at first, settled in North Carolina to train with Don Turner who has worked the corner of over 20 world champions, including Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes and the Klitschko brothers. He later switched to trainer Robert Garcia who used to work with Donaire.

In March 2013, Gradovich outpointed Australia’s Billy Dib to wrest the IBF featherweight crown in Connecitcut. Late that year, he stopped Dib in a rematch in the Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios fight in Macau. Last May, Gradovich lost the throne to Welshman Lee Selby on an eighth round technical decision in London. It was the Russian’s fifth title defense.

“Gradovich is no mug,” said WBC silver superfeatherweight champion Stephen Smith of Liverpool. “But he’s not outstanding in one department.” Selby described Gradovich as “a tough man” who fight his heart out. Writer John Dennen of Boxing News said in losing to Selby, Gradovich “flung himself forward with gusto, always advancing” and was resilient.

If Gradovich is a natural featherweight, he’ll likely outweigh Donaire when they face off and that could be a problem for the Filipino Flash. In October last year, Donaire and Nicholas Walters both scaled 125 1/2 pounds for their WBA featherweight championship bout at the Stubhub Center in Carson City. But when the bell rang to start the fight, Walters ballooned to 147 while Donaire was up to 129. The weight difference was glaring as Walters was able to take Donaire’s hardest shots and bulldoze his way through his defense.

In beating Mexico’s Cesar Juarez for the vacant WBO superbantamweight title in Puerto Rico last Dec. 11, Donaire was outweighed although they both tipped the scales at 122 the day before the bout. Juarez scaled 143 and Donaire, 129 when the fight began. Donaire floored Juarez twice in the fourth round but couldn’t keep him down and settled for a win by unanimous decision.

“I staggered Walters (in the third round) and anyone who wasn’t as big would’ve gone down,” said Donaire. “If I hurt Walters, that would’ve changed the complexion of the fight. It was the same thing with Juarez. I knocked him down twice but he kept coming back. I was never hurt. He tried to hit me in the body but I took his shots on my arms. I hit Juarez with a lot of solid punches. I felt on several occasions, he was on the verge of losing consciousness then all of a sudden, he’d throw back. The way he takes punches, I’m not sure how long his career will last. I understand he’s a criminal lawyer and he boxes just for the money. Maybe, he’s not earning enough as a lawyer.”

Donaire said Juarez reminded him of Aaron Pryor. “He wouldn’t stop,” he continued. “Juarez was like Pryor fighting (Alexis) Arguello. He just kept taking shots and fighting back. He’s a real tough guy. At the last bell, we were still exchanging and the crowd was roaring. They’re calling it The Fight of the Year. I left it all in the ring. I hurt my foot when I stepped on the referee’s foot moving back as I prepared to counter. But I didn’t want to make that an excuse. I’m a warrior. I went out there to win. I just refused to quit.”