Date and Venue for Ryan Burnett v Nonito Donaire CONFIRMED
It has been confirmed this morning that Ryan Burnett will defend his WBA bantamweight title versus Filipino legend Nonito Donaire in Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday November 3rd.
The Belfast star has entered the World Boxing Super Series and will face Donaire in the quarter-finals at the SSE Hydro in a double header with the light welterweight quarter between Scottish star Josh Taylor and American Ryan Martin.
Burnett, the bantamweight first seed, had picked four-weight champ Donaire [38(24)-5(1)] as his opening opponent at the Draft Gala in Moscow during the Summer.
With the American-raised Asian having endeared himself to Irish fight fans during his week in Belfast in April when he fought Carl Frampton, it was hoped that a big fight night in the city could be formed.
However, the only suitable venue for such a fight – the SSE Odyssey Arena – is booked out for the duration of the WBSS quarter-finals meaning alternate arrangements had to be made.
The fight will be Burnett’s second successive outing and title defence away from Belfast having won and unified world titles in the Titanic City last year.
The Antrim Road 26-year-old recently restarted camp in London under Adam Booth and alongside Mick Conlan who fights in Las Vegas on Saturday October 20th.
Burnett last fought in March, in Cardiff, where he dominated Top Ten opponent Yonfrez Parejo on the Anthony Joshua v Joseph Parker undercard at the Principality Stadium.
Donaire was outpointed by top featherweight Frampton at the Odyssey one month later and is making an eyebrow-raising move by dropping two weight divisions at the age of 35 to enter the big money tournament.
The WBSS, which enjoyed a hugely acclaimed first season, is offering a reported $4,000,000 to the winner of the bantamweight competition.
Kalle Sauerland, the chief Boxing Officer for the tournament, described how “there are some big UK boxing nights in 2018 but this doubleheader has so much depth and quality. It’s what the WBSS is all about.”
“Following on in the UK from Groves vs Eubank Jr in Manchester it’s great to bring the biggest show in boxing to Scotland. In addition, we will have a massive UK undercard to complete the fireworks.”
The other bantamweight quarter finals have also been confirmed recently.
The WBO title clash between champion Zolani Tete and Mikhail Aloyan – the winner of whom will face the inner of Burnett-Donaire in a unification semi-final next year – is set for Yekaterinburg in Russia on Saturday October 13th.
One week previous, on Sunday October 7th, two-weight champion and tournament favourite Naoya Inoue fights former WBA champ Juan Carlos Payano in Yokohama, Japan, while IBF champion Manny Rodriguez will defend against Aussie mandatory Jason Moloney on Saturday October 20th in Florida.
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