Donaire: “Kaya kong patulugin si Zolani Tete!”
MALAKI ang tiwala ni fivedivision world champion Nonito Donaire Jr. na mapatutulog niya si WBO bantamweight titlist Zolani Tete a kanilang pagtutuos sa semifinals ng World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) sa unang bahagi ng 2019 sa United States o United Kingdom.
Sa panayam ni Lem Satterfield ng BoxingScene.com, naniniwala si Donaire na may paglalagyan si Tete kapag tinamaan niya ng pamatay na left hook lalo’t nagpakita ito ng malaking takot sa kanya.
“Tete’s a very skillful boxer, but my style’s made for his, power-wise,” sabi ni Donaire. “There are a lot of ways to dissect and neutralize his style so my power’s at full force. If I can land my best punches, I believe I can stop him.”
Inamin ni Donaire na lumahok siya sa WBSS na ang magkakampeon ay tatanggap ng Muhammad Ali trophy at $1 milyong premyo sa kagustuhang maging undisputed champion.
“When the opportunity came for this tournament, I made the the sacrifice. Just two month ago in training I thought, ‘This could be hard.’ But as the fight got closer, the weight came off easily, so I felt good and not drained at all,” ani Donaire na napatigil si WBA Super bantamweight champion Ryan Burnett ng UK sa kanyang huling laban nitong Nobyembre 3 sa The SSE Hydro, Glasgow sa Scotland.
“With Ryan Burnett, I know I weighed about 128, and I felt good – not heavy or slow at all. We intended to make him feel the power, dominating this fight by switching to boxing on occasion. My power was good, but when I made him miss, he probably pulled something,” diin ni Donaire. “I had only used about 80 percent of my power, settling into a rhythm and establishing a body attack. Before the injury happened, I thought I was breaking him down. I felt bad for Ryan, who was screaming in pain when they took him out. I hope that he’s going to be OK.”
“It’s great being a world champion once again,” dagdag ng ‘The Filipino Flash’ na magiging 36-anyos na sa Nobyembre 16. “It was easy enough to make the weight, so I’ll be in this weight class for some time. I’ll give it my all to keep it rolling.”
“My main focus is to advance through the next stage and win this tournament. My power is tremendous,” dagdag ni Donaire.“With that and my ability to come in aggressively, smothering a lot of punches, I don’t doubt that I can’t stop anyone. I’m a dangerous puncher in this division.”