TGIF FEATURE: Pacquiao and Donaire fighting the same night

Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire on the same card at last.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, Filipino fighters Manny Pacquiao and Nonito "Flash" Donaire, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, will be on the same Las Vegas boxing card this Saturday, Nov. 5.

Having two of the most exciting fighters on the same card has long been a goal of both pugilists for a long time. It is the dream ticket for Filipino fight fans.

Manny Pacquiao, the first-term Filipino senator and former congressman from General Santos City, an eight-division champion, will come out of retirement to fight Jessie Vargas for Vargas’ WBO welterweight title in the main event.

In the co-main event, Nonito Donaire, a four-division champion and current WBO super bantamweight champion, will make the second defense of his title against undefeated Las Vegan Jessie Magdaleno, fighting for a major title for the first time.

"This is a good boxing card because not only am I fighting on the card but [so is] my fellow Philippine boxer Nonito Donaire, who is the pride of the Philippines," Pacquiao said. "I think it is a good present for us and for the Philippine people for us to fight on this card together."

RELATED

• Pacquiao, Bruce Lee score TKOs vs. Asian male stereotype
• Nonito Donaire - 'I am Filipino'

Both fighters are on the downside of their careers and as much excitement the card has generated among Filipinos in the Philippines and in the U.S., it could very well be a major disappointment if both fighters lose. Both of their opponents are up-and-coming boxers and younger.

In April, Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) won what he said then was his final fight, defeating Timothy Bradley by unanimous decision in their third meeting at the MGM Grand. That retirement didn't last long. It is his first fight since being elected to the Philippines Senate in May. 

Last month, Pacquiao, 37, confirmed that he would end his retirement to fight Vargas for the title he once owned. 

The pay-per-view event, staged at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus, will not be aired by either HBO or Showtime, but instead will be handled by the promoter of the event, Top Rank, Inc.

Donaire (37-3, 24 KOs), like probably every current Filipino fighter, considers Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) to be his boxing idol. He is excited to be on Pacquiao's card.

"It's incredible. It's something you look forward to," the 33-year old Donaire said. "I'm just excited. We can give the people what they've wanted. When I signed with Top Rank (in 2008) one of the reasons I signed was to be on a card with Manny, but it never happened until now. I am focused on my outcome and beating Magdaleno but when I heard I would be on the card with Manny I was very excited."

###

Filipino/American police officer killed in San Diego gunfight

Johnathan DeGuzman was a 16 year veteran
of the San Diego police department.

A SAN DIEGO police officer was killed in a shootout after a late-night stop turned into a gunfight, triggering a manhunt that led to the capture of one wounded suspect in a ravine and an hours-long SWAT standoff Friday that ended after officers detained a second man who may have been involved. His partner, Wade Irwin was also shot but is expected to live.

The slain officer, Jonathan DeGuzman, 44, was born in the Philippines and had been a San Diego police officer for 16 years.

The shooting took place around 11 p.m. Thursday (July 28) in a blue-collar neighborhood the San Diego Union Tribune reported.

It was too early to say whether the officers had been ambushed, said San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman. After the killings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, law enforcement officers across the nation are extra cautious.

After a radio call for backup, other officers arriving on the scene to find their fellow officers shot multiple times despite wearing bullet-proof vests. 

"It happened extremely quickly," Zimmerman said in a press conference Friday (July 29). "From the information that was put out that a stop was being made to that the officers called for emergency cover to when the other officers arrived on scene, we're talking very, very quickly. Seconds to a minute or so."

The neighborhood was cordoned off and a manhunt was launched. They found one man wounded in a nearby ravine. Another house surrounded by officers failed to turn up any other suspects. A second man was arrested but hasn't been linked to the shooting at press time.

Contents of the body cameras worn by the officers were not revealed.

"I can tell you he (DeGuzman) is a loving, caring husband, father. Talked about his family all the time," Zimmerman said Saturday (July 30). "I know him, and this is gut-wrenching. He cared. He came to work every single day wanting to just make a positive difference in the lives of our community and that's why he lost his life."

DeGuzman received the purple heart in 2003 after he was stabbed by a man he had stopped for speeding. The man was convicted of attempted murder on a peace officer in 2004.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer denounced the shootings. He said Saturday that he visited DeGuzman's wife and two children.

“We told them directly how proud all of us are — our city, our state, our nation — for JD. I told his wife and his son and daughter that he’s a hero for what he did, and that they have all of us standing behind their family. All of us.”

"We lost a terrific man," the mayor said of DeGuzman. "He served our city well, served this community for a number of years.”

###