Donaire-Arce set for Dec. 15, Rigondeaux eyed for undercard

An HBO-televised, Dec. 15 clash featuring IBF and WBO junior featherweight titleholder Nonito Donaire against four-division titlewinner Jorge Arce, is set for the Toyota Center in Houston, with a matchup between WBA 122-pound beltholder Guillermo Rigondeaux and Thailand's former titleholder Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym being slated for the undercard, according to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum.

"We're going to have a press conference on Thursday to announce the fight, which will be at the Toyota Center," said Arum, who told RingTV.com during a recent interview that he had expected to announce a clash between Donaire (29-1, 18 knockouts) and Arce (61-6-2, 42 KOs) earlier this week.

"It's a big, big fight. Everybody wants to see Donaire face a gutty guy like Arce, who will bring the fight to him and who is not going to quit. It's going to be a really entertaining fight, and I can't wait to see it."

Donaire, who turns 30 on Nov. 16, is coming off a ninth-round stoppage of Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka, whom he dropped twice last month. Nishioka had not lost since falling by unanimous decision to long-reigning WBC bantamweight titleholder and Thai legend Veeraphol Sahaprom in March of 2004 -- a span of eight years and seven months.

In February, Donaire earned his WBO 122-pound belt by split decision over Wifredo Vazquez Jr., and followed that up by dethroning Jeffrey Mathebula for the IBF title in July.

Prior to facing Donaire, Vazquez had suffered his first loss by 12th-round stoppage against Arce, 33, who is coming off a unanimous decision over Mauricio Martinez that was contested in the featherweight division last month.

Rigondeaux (10-0, 8 KOs) has agreed to face Kratingdaenggym (48-2, 33 KOs), a winner of seven straight bouts, four of them by stoppage, and Arum said that it appears that their clash is also close to being finalized.

"Definitely, Rigondeaux is on the undercard," said Arum. "Rigondeaux would end up fighting the winner [of Donaire-Arce.]"

Rigondeaux, 32, is coming off last month's HBO Pay Per View-televised unanimous decision victory over Roberto Marroquin, and Kratingdaenggym, 31, last month's unanimous decision over Danilo Pena.

Photos by Chris Farina, Top Rank

Lem Satterfield can be reached at lemuel.satterfield@gmail.com