Nonito Donaire vs Stephon Young Preview April 27th
The World Boxing Super Series returns to action in Lafayette, Louisiana this Saturday, April 27th as Nonito Donaire of the Philippines defends his WBA Super World Bantamweight and WBC Diamond Bantamweight titles against Stephon Young of St. Louis Missouri. Donaire last fought in the Super Series in November when he beat Ryan Burnett after four rounds due to Burnett suffering a back injury. Donaire won the vacant WBC Diamond Title that night as well as Burnett’s WBA crown. Young, who’s a late replacement for the injured Zoltan Tete, last fought in October when he beat Wilner Soto by a 10-round unanimous decision. The fight can be seen live on DAZN in North America and on Sky Sports in the UK.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Donaire vs Young Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Stephon Young +1400
- Nonito Donaire -12500
My Pick
Donaire bounced back with the win over Burnett after dropping a unanimous decision to Carl Frampton in a shot at the vacant interim WBO Featherweight crown last April. The 36-year-old enters the ring with a record of 39-5 with 25 Kos. He’s a former amateur star who moved to America as a youngster and is 14-4 with 8 Kos in world title fights. He’s a former four-division World Champion in the flyweight, bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight divisions and has won numerous regional and minor titles since turning pro in 2001. Donaire has boxed 271 rounds since turning pro with a current knockout ratio of 57 per cent.
Donaire’s biggest wins have been over Burnett, Vic Darchinyan (twice), Hernan Marquez, Fernando Montiel, Omar Narvaez, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka, and Jorge Arce. His losses have been at the hands of Jessie Magdaleno in 2016, Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2013, Nicholas Walters in 2014 and Rosendo Sanchez in his second pro bout in 2001. The only man to stop him was Walters in the sixth round and Donaire’s proven over the years to have a solid chin. He’s just over 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 68-inch reach.
Young is a 30-year-old southpaw who climbs through the ropes at 18-1-3. He had a fine amateur career with a mark of 86-13 and was beaten in the 2012 Olympic trials by former world champion Raushee Warren. Young turned pro in 2011. He’s boxed 115 rounds as a pro, but doesn’t have much in the way of power with a current knockout ratio of 32 per cent. He’s 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 67-inch reach which gives him a slight one-inch reach disadvantage to Donaire.
Young’s only pro loss came at the hands of Reymart Gaballo via a 12-round unanimous decision in March of 2018 in a shot at the interim WBA Bantamweight Title. Young was down in the third round of that fight. His three draws were against Samuel Yniguez in 2012, Antonio Nieves in 2015 and Nikolai Potapov in 2016 for the vacant NABA Bantamweight Title. However, he won that title in his next fight with a majority decision over Juan Antonio Lopez. Other than that, most of Young’s opponents are unrecognizable to most boxing fans.
Prediction…
Donaire still has good power and speed at his age and he’s experienced at picking off his opponents when they move into firing range with enough power do some damage. However, he is becoming easier to hit as he gets older. Donaire’s time may have come and gone, but let’s face it, he’s lucky to be facing Young at this point of his career rather than Tete. Young has some fine boxing skills so it’s not going to be easy for Donaire, but Young’s lack of power should allow Donaire to be more aggressive. I think Donaire’s got enough left to beat Young and advance to the tournament final.
Donaire’s experience and skill should be too much for Young.
Play: Donaire -12500 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Nonito Donaire betting • Stephon Young betting