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Nonito Donaire plans to use experience, power against young Jessie Magdaleno
— -- Nonito Donaire has been a professional fighter for 15 years. Jessie Magdaleno has been getting paid to punch for just six years.
Donaire is a former fighter of the year (2012) and has won world titles in four weight classes from flyweight to featherweight, five if you include the interim belt he won as a junior bantamweight. He has faced many top opponents (including Fernando Montiel, Vic Darchinyan, Jorge Arce, Toshiaki Nishioka, Omar Narvaez, Moruti Mthlane, Nicholas Walters and Guillermo Rigondeaux), was long considered one of the top 10 fighters in the world pound-for-pound and has more knockouts than Magdaleno has fights. Magdaleno has had only two fights scheduled for at least 10 rounds and never faced an opponent remotely considered even a top 20 contender in his division.
But Donaire is also 33 and Magdaleno is a fresh 24-year-old.
It is that kind youth versus experience fight on that is on tap as Donaire gets set to defend his junior featherweight world title for the second time when he faces Magdaleno, his mandatory challenger, on Saturday night (Top Rank PPV, 9 ET) on the Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas undercard at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Donaire (37-3, 24 KOs) was complimentary of Magdaleno but believes his vast experience will carry the day in a fight that many expect will be an exciting battle.
"Magdaleno is very talented and he has a good amount of speed and a good amount of power," Donaire said. "As I looked to study him he has pretty good pop and lateral movement and speed. I'm excited to be fighting him. I love the challenge but I think that my experience is going to be a big, key factor.
"He has never faced anyone who can punch like I do or move like I can. He's in the big leagues now. I know that I'm going to dominate this fight. He's more of a textbook fighter and easy to read."
Countered Magdaleno: "Nonito is a great champion. We both have a lot of speed and power but, honestly, I think age will be a big factor in this fight."
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