By Ronnie Nathanielsz

TOP Rank promoter Bob Arum said he is confident the twice-postponed title defense of flyweight champion Nonito Donaire against undefeated Mexican Raul Martinez will push through at the Araneta Coliseum on April 19 and will form part of a three-week television blockbuster.

In the double-championship card, former World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Brian Viloria will go after the International Boxing Federation crown of reigning champion Ulises Solis.

After Donaire’s manager Cameron Dunkin threatened to pull Donaire out of the fight and have him return to the US because of the many postponements and fears that there wouldn’t be sponsor money to help put the fight card on, Arum said he received a phone call from Solar Sports CEO Peter Chanliong informing him that they had raised the sponsorship money and the fight was a go.

In an overseas telephone conversation with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports, Arum said Chanliong told him: “They want to go ahead and they would speak with Donaire and give him an advance on his purse.”

Arum earlier told Standard Today that he could easily put Donaire on a fight card in the US or Mexico in the middle of April if his joint promotion with Solar Sports doesn’t push through.

Chanliong said Solar was determined to go ahead with the April 19 fight card, had obtained the sponsorship money and were prepared to help Donaire with some of his expenses. Donaire’s wife Rachel who handles his communications said Chanliong had spoken to them and promised them payment in a day or two.

Arum said Solar Sports had a very interesting plan on how to market the Donaire-Martinez and Viloria-Solis championship fights.

He said they would package all the big Filipino fighters for television—World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa’s quest for the WBO super bantamweight title of Juan Manuel Lopez in Puerto Rico on April 25 (26 Manila Time) and the Battle of East and West between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton, plus the WBO featherweight title clash between Bernabe Concepcion and champion Steven Luevano at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2 (May 3 in Manila).