Nonito Donaire vs. William Prado: Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info
Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire (33-3, 21 KO) is returning to the super bantamweight division where he won Fighter of the Year in 2012. He will be facing rugged brawler William Prado (22-4-1, 15 KO) on Saturday in Donaire's native Philippines. The bout is part of Pinoy Pride 30 and will take place at the Araneta Coliseum.
Here's how you can watch.
When: Saturday, March 28 at 6 a.m. ET, 6 p.m. in Philippines
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Where: Araneta Coliseum, Barangay Cubao in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
TV: TFL in Manila
Live Stream: TFL.tv
Reboot
The last two years have been the toughest of Donaire's career. He's lost two of his last four fights and hasn't even looked good in the bouts he's won. In October 2014, he was stopped for the first time in his career by Nicholas Walters.
Many believed Donaire should probably hang up the gloves at that point. It appeared his heart was no longer in the sport. He and his wife had welcomed a son into the world, and being a father was clearly the priority in his life.
No one can blame him for that, but it was hard not to see the decline in the ring. He'd become a one-punch fighter. Depending heavily on his speed, instincts and big left hook, Donaire was looking to catch every opponent with the one-hitter quitter.
It wasn't working out.
Now Donaire is moving back to the 122-pound division where he once dominated. The opponents don't hit as hard, and he'll have to be in better condition to make the weight. What about the weight cut that once seemed to force him to featherweight?
Per Ronnie Nathanielsz of BoxingScene.com, he said his body is, "now adapting after doing it for quite a while and the weight is coming off easily.” An impressive win would put Donaire firmly in the title picture at 122 pounds.
There are some spectacular potential fights for Donaire in the division. He could rematch WBA and WBO champion Guillermo Rigondeaux—whom he lost a unanimous decision to back in April 2013. There's also WBA regular champion Scott Quigg, WBC king Leo Santa Cruz and popular Irish IBF champion Carl Frampton.
Any of them could make for a crowd-pleasing scrap with Donaire. First the Filipino Flash has to take down Prado.
Swinging for the Fences
With nothing to lose, Prado comes into Saturday's bout looking to drag Donaire into a messy slugfest. His style is not the most aesthetically pleasing, but he throws a lot of punches and keeps coming forward.
Prado has had a few opportunities to face elite fighters in his career, but those fights haven't turned out well for him.
In June 2013, he was knocked out in the third round by Quigg. He lost a unanimous decision to Jeremy Parodi in October 2012. Prado has also been out of action for almost a year.
Because of the inactivity and failures against quality fighters, Prado appears to be in for an uphill battle. Perhaps his only chance is to hope that Donaire is not himself, and/or the weight cut will have more of an impact than anticipated.
3 Key Stats to Consider Ahead of the Fight
4-4-1
In fights scheduled 10 rounds or more, Prado isn't exactly doing his best work. His .444 winning percentage makes it hard to fathom an upset win for the 31-year-old Brazilian.
214-153
We talked a bit about Prado's inability to consistently win bigger fights. Donaire has been far better against good fighters, and he holds a large edge over Prado in total rounds. With 214 professional rounds compared to 153 for Prado, there's another reason to view Donaire as the man to beat in this match.
Not only has Donaire fought over 200 rounds, he's put in the work against the best fighters in his weight region. Prado will be the first opponent Donaire has faced since February 2010 who wasn't a current or former world champion. That's 12 consecutive fights against the most elite fighters in his weight classes.
No one can accuse Donaire of ducking anyone.
Prediction
I can't imagine this fight lasting longer than five rounds. A motivated Donaire, who will also be inspired by the Filipino faithful, should tear through Prado. Donaire's hard, whacking left hook is going to catch Prado flush sometime during the first three rounds. That should spell the end of the night and another win for Donaire.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter.
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