By ABS-CBNnews.com and U.S. News Agency / Asian

An analyst from RingTV is impressed with the performance of Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in his super bantamweight clash against South African boxer Jeffrey Mathebula last Saturday in California (Sunday in Manila).

Donaire knocked down Mathebula in the fourth round en route to unanimous decision victory to unify the World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation super bantamweight titles.

In his “Weekend Review” column, RingTV’s Michael Rosenthal commended Donaire for his performance.

“The fact is, Donaire did an excellent job in difficult circumstances,” Rosenthal wrote.

“The 5-foot-11 Mathebula is a nightmare of an opponent, one with an impossibly long jab – designed to keep his foe at bay – and more all-around ability than might be obvious at first glance,” he added.

“Donaire had to work extremely hard – bobbing, weaving, leaping – to get inside Mathebula’s defense and do damage.”

Rosenthanl noted that some boxing fans may be tempted to “dismiss” Donaire’s performance against Mathebula because “The Filipino Flash” failed to end the fight with a spectacular knockout, but said this should not be the case.

“Donaire is more than ready for anyone in or near his weight class,” Rosenthal said.

He pointed out that it was impressive for Donaire to defeat a difficult foe and win a one-sided decision, unifying two title belts in the process.

Rosenthal also gave credit to Mathebula, who “did better than the scores would indicate.”

“Donaire won the fight because his power punches were more powerful and eye-catching, but Mathebula was a riddle who wasn’t easily solved,” Rosenthal said.

“He also proved that he’s tough, rising from a nasty knockdown to remain competitive. He deserved more credit than he received after the fight,” he added.