By Ronnie Nathanielsz

The manager of former five division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire says he’s working to finalize a super bantamweight title defense against Zsolt Bedak of Hungary on April 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines after original choice Evgeny Gradovich had a tough fight before scoring a majority decision against Mexican journeyman  Jesus Galicia in Spain on Saturday night.

Cameron Dunkin told the New Standard/BoxingScene.com that Gradovich was 128 pounds for the Galicia fight and that “he looked pretty dry and I don’t think he can make the weight (122 pounds.)”

He said “I’m going forward on Bedak and I think I can get it done.”

Dunkin made the statement after talking to Donaire and his wife Rachel on Sunday, Manila Time.

Gradovich took the fight against Galicia to see how he fares in making the bantamweight limit and by all accounts he wasn’t able to make featherweight and was pushed to the limit in an action-packed bout.

The manager of Bedak, Felix  Racz earlier told us that Bedak, who represented Hungary in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where he scored an impressive victory over Abner Mares who subsequently became a world champion  “can be a risky defense for Donaire as he is still hungry.”

Bedak’s only loss was in a super bantamweight title fight against Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo Vazquez Jr when, according to Racz, Bedak “ boxed with a broken jaw from the third round onwards” and after he was dropped once in the 10th round his corner threw in the towel shortly after that at 1:12 of the round.

Prior to the title fight the Hungarian who is ranked No. 4 by the WBO won by a 7th round knockout over Filipino veteran Ramie Laput  in a clash for the WBO Intercontinental title on December 4, 2009.