What Reymart Gaballo has to do to beat Nonito Donaire, according to analyst Quinito Henson

WBC interim bantamweight champion Reymart Gaballo will have to tap every weapon at his disposal if he wants to defeat WBC world bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, according to veteran sports analyst Quinito Henson.

Gaballo, 25, has been named by the World Boxing Council as the mandatory challenger to Donaire’s gold-plated strap. In a recent podcast appearance by Donaire, the Filipino four-division champion said that the fight would be held on December 11 in a yet-to-be-determined venue.

“Gaballo has to be aggressive, that’s for sure. He has 20 knockouts in 24 fights, and his manager JC Manangquil said it’s Gaballo's time now. Last year before he fought Emmanuel Rodriguez, he was in the US for nine months training during the pandemic,” said Henson.

“This guy knows what the word sacrifice means. In order to beat Donaire, he has to outwork him, number two is hurt him. Once Donaire gets hurt, he tends to back off. We saw that against Naoya Inoue. I think those are two key things for Gaballo to remember. Can he do that is a question mark.”

And while both fighters possess serious knockout power in their fists, Henson believes that the upcoming fight between the pair would go the distance.

“Donaire versus Gaballo, I think will be a similar outcome like Jerwin Ancajas versus Jonas Sultan. Two Filipinos fighting for the world championship, two Filipinos that would respect each other a lot. My feeling is that Donaire will win by decision.”

—JMB, GMA News