Donaire adds featherweight belt for fourth title

Macau, China (SportsNetwork.com) – Filipino superstar Nonito Donaire added a fourth weight class title to his resume on Saturday, defeating WBA featherweight champion Simpiwe Vetyeka by unanimous technical decision in a bout stopped after four rounds due to a ghastly cut on Donaire’s left eye.

All three judges had Donaire ahead, 49-46, at the time of the stoppage.

SportsNetwork.com awarded each fighter two of the four completed rounds, but had Donaire ahead by a point thanks to a knockdown scored with a counter left hand midway through the third.

Donaire had previously held championships at 112, 118 and 122 pounds and improved to 33-2.

“Every round, the cut just kept getting worse and worse,” Donaire said of the wound, apparently opened by an accidental head butt near the end of the first round. “The ointment was going into my eyes and I was having more and more trouble seeing.”

It was defense No. 1 of the WBA title for Vetyeka, a native South African who’d defeated longtime champion Chris John in his last fight. Donaire offered the dethroned champion a rematch after the abbreviated fight on Saturday.

Donaire landed 47 of 141 punches in four rounds, while Vetyeka landed 49 of 148.

“I’m my biggest critic,” Donaire said. I wanted to give the fans and great fight, and I feel like I only got halfway there. I will give him a rematch because I cannot take a victory with unfinished business.”

Vetyeka fell to 26-3.

Categorized in: Boxing