FORMER International Boxing Federation featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich looms as the next opponent of newly crowned World Boxing Organization super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire even as Top Rank promoter Bob Arum will also be talking to undefeated Jessie Magdaleno, about a possible title fight a with the Filipino Flash.
Arum told The Standard/boxingmirror.com that he will be talking to the two guys about the next fight of Donaire, even as he revealed that Gradovich was “willing to come down to 122 pounds” to make the fight.
Donaire’s father/trainer Dodong Donaire is leaning towards Gradovich, who he said was a good boxer, but lacked punching power.
Arum said he wants to first “make sure Nonito is completely healed” from the twisted ankle he suffered when he was accidentally tripped by the referee in the sixth round of his brutal battle with Mexico’s Cesar Juarez and was hampered the remainder of the fight and had even thought of quitting.
Arum praised Donaire for “a great fight and a gutsy performance,” and emphasized that it was “absolutely a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender.
Gradovich, who is 29 years old, has a record of 20-1-1 with 9 knockouts. He won the IBF featherweight title with a 12-round split decision over Australian Billy Dib on March 1, 2013, but lost the title to Lee Selby by an eighth-round technical decision when he suffered a nasty cut and was forced to retire on May 30 this year.
In a return to the ring last Oct. 24, Gradovich, who is currently ranked No. 7 by the IBF, scored an eighth-round split decision win over Brazil’s Aldimir Silva Santos.
The 24-year-old Magdaleno, who is ranked No. 3 by both the WBO and the WBA, has a record of 22-0 with 16 knockouts. The talented southpaw is coming off a first-round knockout of Filipino Vergel Nebran, whom he dropped twice in the opening round of a scheduled 10-round bout last Oct. 17.
Magdaleno won the North American Boxing Federation super bantamweight junior title with a unanimous eight-round decision over Erik Ruiz on Oct. 10 this year.