April 23, 2016 Nonito Donaire vs. Zsolt Bedak at Cebu City Sports Complex, Cebu City, Cebu for the WBO World super bantamweight title
Fight Result: Notito Donaire TKO Zsolt Bedak in the 3rd Round
Nonito The Filipino Flash Donaire stopped Zsolt Bedak in 3 rounds, The Filipino Flash seemed thoroughly prepared for facing his overmatched opponent. Nonito maintained the momentum he had over the last few fights where he beat Gilberto Parra and Anthony Settoul by Knock Outs. December last year Nonito captured the WBO super bantamweight by defeating Mexican slugger Cesar Juarez in 12 rounds.
Zsolt Bedak is one-year younger that his opponent Donaire. Bedak has been fighting in his home country from 2012. Being an amateur fighter, Bedak represented his country during the 2004 Olympics. Previously, Nonito has been seen as a one-man wrecking crew with his lightning-quick combinations and perfectly timed counters. However, age and injuries have reduced the super staraDs athletic abilities. In the Philipines, Nonito is a big name, and he still can beat many fighters at super bantamweight. The match took place in Cebu in front of a huge crowd of over 30,000 fans. Donaire, who received the title fighter of the year by the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America, was on top of his game.
Nonito was bent on retaining his WBO junior featherweight title at all costs. Bedak on the other hand, It was what can be regarded as a defining match. Nonito has suffered injuries in previous matches, and this has impacted his performance in recent fights. However, he has strong defense skills that he employed to counter punch. Bedak hoped to play up to Nonito’s weaknesses and came too close to beating him in round 1.
Nonito won by a third-round technical knockout that was unforeseen to Zsolt Bedak. The victory marked Donaire’s first defense of WBO World super bantamweight title since 2015. Nonito is known for his long championship reigns the previous one been in 2012.Donaire knocked Bedak twice during the second round where he delivered his well-articulated fists with power and precision. Bedak was able to survive to the third round but was too beaten and forced to take a knee. The fight was stiff and bloodied. The referee tried to protect Bedak by waving off the bout to prevent further injury.
