The proposed March 21 Top Rank pay-per-view from the famous Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines main evented by Nonito Donaire taking on Raul Martinez has been moved to April 18.
It's hardly a surprise. I wondered how, exactly, PPV carriers would pick a small show like this one over any Roy Jones show, even one that pits him against Omar Sheika. By moving the date, Top Rank doesn't have to worry about that, and the target hardcore fans will still be there. They likely would have seen very little interest from carriers and even most fans trying to go head-to-head with Jones, who at 40 and washed up is still a bigger star than anyone on this card will ever be.
Donaire (20-1, 13 KO) has seen much of the momentum from his massive 2007 upset of Vic Darchinyan fizzle since that win. After landing just one more fight in '07 (a TKO win over Luis Maldonado), Donaire split with promoter Gary Shaw and later signed with Top Rank. He last fought in November, stopping Moruti Mthalane.
Talk has been that Donaire will move up to 115 pounds, but for the fight with Martinez (24-0, 14 KO) he will still be defending his 112-pound titles. The featured undercard bout will be 108-pound titlist Ulises Solis (28-1-2, 20 KO) against Brian Viloria (24-2, 14 KO).