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Fightnews.com reports that Nonito Donaire's tentatively scheduled May 28 return to the ring is dead. Bob Arum gave Donaire until this week to make contact. The Filipino star recently attempted to defect to Golden Boy Promotions, but after a mediator decided his Top Rank contract was still valid, Donaire has been silent.
Arum is trying to assure Donaire that he won't give up on his duties as a promoter:
"We are professionals and I can assure him I will give my 100 percent in promoting him again." ... "He has to come back. He has a lot of big fights coming under Top Rank," said Arum, whose next move is to meet up with Cameron Dunkin, Donaire's manager.
Donaire last fought on February 19, demolishing Fernando Montiel in the first HBO main event of his career. The win created a huge buzz among boxing fans, but within about a month, Donaire, Golden Boy and Top Rank entered into a major squabble. There have been plenty of harsh words exchanged, most notably Arum making really ill-advised comments about Donaire's wife, Rachel.
Hopefully this can be worked out and we'll have Nonito back in the ring before too long. He's both too good and too hot a property.