Nonito Donaire vs Zsolt Bedak Preview April 23rd
WBO Junior Featherweight Champion Nonito Donaire of the Philippines will be defending his title against Zsolt Bedak of Hungary at the Cebu City Sports Complex this Saturday, April 23rd. The 33-year-old Donaire will be climbing into the ring with a record of 36-3 along with 23 Kos while the 32-year-old Bedak is an impressive 25-1, but has registered just 8 Kos. Donaire won the vacant title last December with an exciting 12-round unanimous decision against Cesar Juarez in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Bedak’s last fight took place in September when he won a 10-round unanimous decision over Nick Otieno.
Donaire vs Bedak Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook 5dimes.eu
- Zsolt Bedak +1450
- Nonito Donaire -2750
My Pick
Bedak of Budapest turned pro back in 2006 and has 168 rounds to his name, but he hasn’t faced a Grade A opponent since Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. stopped him in the 10th round back in 2010 for his one and only loss. His biggest wins have been against the likes of unheard of boxers such as Arnoldo Solano, Ruslan Berchuk, Anton Bekish, Ramie Laput and German Meraz, but he’s now ranked number four in the world by the WBO. Bedak stands 5-feet-4-inches tall and has an unlisted reach and his current knockout ratio is just 31 per cent.
Donaire originally lost the WBO title by unanimous decision to Guillermo Rigondeaux in April of 2013, but it was stripped from the Cuban in October of 2015 after he failed to defend it. Donaire was also beaten in when Nicholas Walters of stopped him in the sixth round in October of 2014. His other defeat came against Rosendo Sanchez in his second pro bout in 2001 when he lost a five-round unanimous decision. However, he’s still a five-division champion with a good record even if he isn’t getting any younger. He’s just over 5-feet-5-inches tall and has a wingspan of 68 inches. Donaire has boxed 230 rounds since turning pro in 2001 and his current knockout ratio is 59 per cent.
Donaire has been in with some of boxing’s best over the years as he’s faced and beaten the likes of Toshiaki Nishioka, Vic Darchinyan, Jorge Arce, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, Fernando Montiel, Luis Maldonado and Raul Martinez. Donaire needs to utilize his power and speed and make sure he lands hard enough to make Bedak think twice about attacking him. Donaire’s good at picking off his opponents when they move into firing range and he still has the power do some damage as he showed against Juarez in December.
Bedak does have some decent boxing skills of his own as he’s mobile enough in the ring and has good hand speed. However, he doesn’t have the killer instinct due to his lack of power. Motivation and hunger will play a big part in this encounter and right now Donaire seems to be the more likely victor when those factors are taken into consideration. The champ can’t afford to let Bedak attack at will though and needs to let his hands go whenever the challenger is within distance.
Prediction……
This is another big fight for Donaire as he’s still trying to prove that he should be considered one of the world’s elite boxers. Bedak realizes he can make a name for himself overnight with a win here, but he’s going to have to outbox the champion since it’s highly unlikely he’ll be able to stop him. Donaire has won three straight fights back in the super featherweight division and should make it four on Saturday by stopping Bedak even though the challenger has reeled off 10 straight victories.
Donaire has too much experience for Bedak here.
Play: Donaire -2750 @ 5dimes.eu
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Nonito Donaire betting • Zsolt Bedak betting