LOS ANGELES ? IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire said yesterday his manager Cameron Dunkin is now arranging for his next fight after securing his release from a previously exclusive contract with New Jersey promoter Gary Shaw.
?My dad (Nonito, Sr.) just got an e-mail from Cameron advising him to get me ready,? said Donaire. ?I was told there?s a spot for me in the undercard of the Cotto-Margarito fight in Las Vegas on July 26 but nothing is certain. There are discussions with Top Rank and it?s possible an announcement will be made the week before Pacquiao-Diaz.?
Donaire, who is now in San Francisco, said he might take a trip to Las Vegas to cheer Manny Pacquiao in his bout against WBC lightweight champion David Diaz on June 28.
Another option is to fight on the Aug. 2 card featuring IBF superflyweight titlist Dimitri Kirilov against Australian challenger Vic Darchinyan. Donaire could be in line to face the Kirilov-Darchinyan winner. If Darchinyan wins, a rematch with Donaire ? who dethroned the Australian via a knockout with a single left hook to the jaw last year ? would be a box office blockbuster.
Although Donaire has severed exclusive ties with Shaw, he said it doesn?t mean they won?t work together again.
?My status as a free agent will allow me to fight for any promoter, including Gary,? he said. ?It will all depend on the negotiations. At the moment, I?m training as hard as I can. My weight is between 125 to 127 pounds now. My next fight will be either as a flyweight to defend my title or as a superflyweight to win another.?
Donaire?s contract with Shaw was rescinded after the promoter failed to arrange the stipulated number of fights a year.
?This will be the start of a new chapter in my life where I hope to get the opportunity to fight the best out there and prove my credibility as a champion,? he said. ?Gary gave me the opportunity to fight for the belts I have and I will be forever grateful for that. He opened the doors to greater things for me.?
Donaire mentioned WBC and WBA superflyweight champion Cristian Mijares of Mexico as a possible opponent. Another option is WBO superflyweight titleholder Fernando Montiel who is scheduled to face challenger Jose Navarro on July 26.
?I?ll be ready to fight in four weeks,? said Donaire. ?My opponent in the aborted Dubai fight, Hussein Hussein, will probably not be tapped because of the high cost of bringing him to the US from Australia. There is still no decision on an opponent or in what division I?ll fight. All I know is I have to be ready because a call can come anytime.?
Donaire hasn?t fought since stopping challenger Luis Maldonado last December. He would?ve staked his crown against Hussein in Dubai last April but the bout was cancelled.
?My inactivity has given me a chance to heal my injuries and I?m going back into the ring hungrier than before,? he said.
Donaire said he hopes to fight before he exchanges vows with Fil-Am taekwondo champion Rachel Marcial in a Catholic wedding early August at Carmel.
?It?ll be a private affair,? said Donaire. ?We expect a maximum of only 50 guests which is already an increase from our original list of 20. We?re inviting my mother?s brother, Fr. Matias, the parish priest in Buenavista, Bohol, to officiate.?
