Eaton Thatcher
Earlier this week, we covered the upcoming Pacquiao-Vargas fight in detail. Now let’s turn our attention to the two undercard title fights also taking place in Vegas this Saturday (November 5). The aging Nonito Donaire will defend his WBO Super Bantamweight title against young up-and-comer Jessie Magdaleno. And current WBO Featherweight champion Oscar Valdez will face the division’s number one contender, Hiroshige Osawa.
Nonito Donaire (1/2) vs Jessie Magdaleno (13/8), Draw (25/1)
Nonito Donaire (37-3, 24 KO) will take on challenger Jessie Magdaleno (23-0, 17 KO) for the WBO Super Bantamweight title. Magdaleno, who is the current junior champion of the division, is undefeated but has never faced an opponent like Donaire. The 24 year-old will have to contend with the lightning speed and dangerous combinations of the 34-year-old Filipino.
Donaire is expected to hold on to the title. Though he has seen his form dip in the last few years, the Filipino Flash is still capable of brilliance inside the ring. Magdaleno is a rising star in the division and he’s looking to replace the aging veteran. But, at least at this point in time, the bookmakers still favor Nonito.
Despite their long and illustrious careers, Nonito Donaire and Manny Pacquiao have never fought on the same card. The event this Saturday will have Filipinos everywhere tuning in to see their two biggest stars defend their titles.
Pick: Nonito Donaire (1/2)
Oscar Valdez (1/41) vs Hiroshige Osawa (14/1), Draw (33/1)
Oscar Valdez (20-0, 18 KO) will be defending the WBO Featherweight title against the number one contender, Hiroshige Osawa (30-3-4, 19 KO). Valdez, at just 25 years of age, has taken the division by storm. Though he has only 20 career fights on his resume, he has managed to win all of them with only two ever making it to decision.
Earlier in April, Valdez annihilated Evgeny Gradovich in four rounds during his undercard fight at the Pacquiao-Bradley event. This Saturday, he’ll be looking to do the same in his first title defence.
But Osawa has not lost a fight in seven years. Sure, he hasn’t been matched with anyone on Valdez’s level in that time, but that’s still some feat. He’s an enigmatic fighter and is capable of forcing a huge upset.
Having said that, Valdez is currently in the form of his life and it’s going to take something special to strip him of his title.
Pick: Oscar Valdez (1/41)
Photo credit: Arvee Eco, CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Flickr.
