Jessie Magdaleno can’t shake Nonito Donaire before first title defense

Jessie Magdaleno told Nonito Donaire he would have to wait his turn to get another crack at the WBO junior featherweight belt he lost in November.

But Donaire wasn’t going to wait behind the scenes. The former four-division Filipino champion found a way to get involved with Magdaleno’s first title defense.

Donaire has been training with Magdaleno’s opponent, Adeilson Dos Santos, who hails from Brazil. Magdaleno (24-0, 17 knockouts) and Dos Santos (18-2, 14 KOs) will meet on Saturday’s Top Rank pay-per-view card at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Magdaleno, a southpaw who grew up in Las Vegas, doesn’t think Donaire will offer much assistance.

“That’s great experience for Dos Santos,” Magdaleno said. “I know Donaire wants him to beat me, but at the same time, I don’t get how that’s going to work. Donaire is a right-hander. He can’t mimic my style.

“He’s going to give the guy a different look, and it’s going to hurt him.”

Donaire and Dos Santos live and train in Las Vegas. Donaire lost a unanimous decision to Magdaleno at the Thomas & Mack Center six months ago.

“He just wants to climb back up the leaderboard, and play mind games,” Magdaleno said. “Donaire is in the past. I’m not worried about him.”

Magdaleno will be one of three champions making title defenses Saturday. Oscar Valdez, the WBO featherweight titlist, will fight the dangerous Miguel Marriaga in the main event.

Gilberto Ramirez, the WBO super middleweight champion, will defend his belt for the first time against Max Bursak. Ramirez has been sidelined for a year with a hand injury.

Olympic U.S. silver medalist Shakur Stevenson will make his highly anticipated debut versus Edgar Brito.

The PPV card airs at 6 p.m.

Porter vs. Berto

All Shawn Porter has thought about in the past year is getting another shot at Keith Thurman.

Porter, a Las Vegas resident, will get his wish if he defeats former welterweight champion Andre Berto (31-4, 24 KOs) on Saturday in a Showtime-televised main event from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The winner will become the mandatory challenger to Thurman, the WBC and WBA unified titlist. Porter lost a close unanimous decision to Thurman in June.

“The No. 1 thing for me is to win this fight and show Keith Thurman that I’m ready for the rematch,” said Porter (26-2-1, 16 KOs). “There is nothing allowed but positive energy. We’re almost there. I’m definitely excited.”

Said Berto: “I’m looking forward to putting those straps on just like they never left. I respect Shawn and his dad, but right now, they’re in the way.”

Jermell Charlo will defend his WBC junior middleweight belt against Charles Hatley in the co-main event. Showtime Extreme will air the undercard at 4:30 p.m. The main card airs at 6:30 on Showtime.

Shumenov off Sam’s Town card

Cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov won’t be able to defend his title against Yunier Dorticos after suffering an eye injury during his workout Wednesday.

Shumenov and Dorticos were scheduled to meet April 29 in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card at Sam’s Town.

WBA interim featherweight titlist Carlos Zambrano (26-0, 11 KOs) defending his title against Claudio Marrero (21-1, 15 KOs) has been elevated to the main event. The card will be televised on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes at 7 p.m.

According to a news release, Shumenov-Dorticos will be rescheduled as soon as Shumenov is healthy enough to return to training. There is no timetable on when he is expected to return.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.