Recent Vic Darchinyan conqueror Nonito Donaire was in attendance on Saturday at the ARCO Arena for the much anticipated World Cup of Boxing. ?The Filipino Flash? beemed with pride and genuine happiness for his fellow Filipino warriors who showed the world that the Philippines can no longer be overlooked as a major force within boxing.
As I caught up with the San Francisco Bay Area superstar he had a few points he wanted to make very clear to his fans, boxing, and the world.
Nonito stated: I think tonight you saw what Filipino boxers are all about. We are humble warriors that always come to fight and put on a great show. This is not to put down the Mexican fighters who have been holding down boxing for a long time now but I think we showed that we definitely belong in the same class as them.
When asked what?s next on the schedule Nonito said, ?I want to be the first Filipino to unify the titles in a weight class. I?ll have to do it soon because these young, hungry fighters will beat me to if I don?t unify soon!?
I then approached him with the possibility of bringing back the big time fights to the Bay Area and Donaire responded, ?My manager says that fighting close to my hometown will put a lot of unnecessary pressure on me but I?m a fighter. I?ll fight anybody and anywhere so we?ll see what happens.?
For such a young champion, Nonito carry?s himself with a great level of maturity and class. He?s great for the sport and might just be the equivalent of Miguel Cotto to Felix Trinidad in the world of Filipino boxing. While Manny Pacquiao has seemingly been distracted with the limelight of stardom and various other business endeavors, Nonito is the young, focused fighter looking to emerge as the next Elvis to come our of the Philippines.
