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."
After losing his featherweight world title by sixth-round stoppage to Nicholas Walters in October 2014, Donaire, of Las Vegas, returned to the junior featherweight division, where he has won four fights in a row, including a vacant junior featherweight belt by hard-fought decision against Cesar Juarez in December. Donaire made his first defense in his native Philippines in April, knocking out Zsolt Bedak in the third round.
Magdaleno (23-0, 17 KOs), a southpaw from Las Vegas and the younger brother of longtime lightweight contender Diego Magdaleno, may not have ever faced a quality opponent but he has all the confidence that he will win the 122-pound title.
"I am going against Nonito, who is smart in the ring and has a dangerous left hook I must deal with," Magdaleno said. "A real good, hard shot to the body will take away some of his left hook power. And once he really opens up it's better for me to get in big punches. He will be strong for about five rounds then there will be a fade and we will take it over. He's a tough competitor for sure, but this is my dream fight, not his."
It may not be Donaire's dream fight, but it will be his first fight under the tutelage of trainer Ismael Salas, who used to train in the powerhouse Cuban amateur system.
Donaire had reunited with his father, Nonito Donaire Sr., after a lengthy estrangement for recent bouts, but though the younger Donaire said he and his father remain on good terms, he wanted to return to his Northern California home rather than stay in Las Vegas to train his son.
Donaire said Salas has brought a lot to his training camp.
"My experience with Salas has been great the way he teaches. It's been incredible," said Donaire, who has been with Salas for about 10 weeks. "Being here in Vegas I've seen Salas around the gyms so many times and talked to him. He's an incredible guy and I decided to try him out. I saw him a few times how he goes about his training. I tried him for a week and I decided from then on this is the trainer who will get me [to] a different level."
Magdaleno is equally confident in his own trainer, Manny Robles Jr., whose stable also includes featherweight world titleholder Oscar Valdez (who also defends on the card) as well as light heavyweight contender Vyacheslav Shabranskyy and middleweight prospect Jason Quigley.
The fight with Donaire will be Magdaleno's first under Robles' guidance since parting ways with longtime trainer Joel Diaz.
"I am only 24 and have of the best trainers in Manny Robles," Magdaleno said.
Said Robles: "Fighters like a lot of attention, a trainer who cares for him. That was my priority when I began training Jessie for this big title fight against Nonito Donaire. Jessie has done everything we've asked. We pay a lot of attention to him and he has responded with such hard training and dedication.
"Jessie has sparred for many rounds and he is totally prepared to beat Donaire."
In the end it might comes down to the youth versus experience. Perhaps the difference will be in something the trainer picks up on and exhorts the fighter to make an adjustment to. Or it could simply come down to whichever man lands the best big shot.
"Nonito and Jessie each have one-punch knockout power," Top Rank matchmaker Brad "Abdul" Goodman said. "This could be a one-punch knockout fight but I am not sure who wins it."