According to the CSAC, the
July 7th card at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California that
featured Nonito Donaire against Jeffrey Mathebula (in a 122-pound title unification
bout) sold 2,667 tickets, adding up to $149,246 in gate revenue. It's clear
that Donaire, for all his pound-for-pound accolades and achievements, is still not
a draw and his brand is not all that strong (it didn't help that Brandon Rios
had to pull out of this card. Bottom line, losing a notable Mexican from this
region is never a good thing if you're looking for a successful promotion in
Southern California).
It further puts the emphasis
on Donaire once again being in an exciting contest, which is why Top Rank is so
eager to match him with Jorge Arce (who couldn't be in a bad fight if he tried)
and is still working hard to find an open date in October at the Staples Center
in Los Angeles.
Right now, Donaire is just
another fighter who's very lucky television executives seem to like him a lot
more than the viewing public.
