Two-time Filipino world champion Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire Jr. is finally getting the big fights he deserves after concluding a two-bout contract with HBO against elite fighters in December and February. His first fight in that two-part televised fight sequel will be against Ukrainian Olympic bronze medalist and former world champ Wladimiro Sido-renko in December 4.
The Donaire-Sidorenko fight is one of the main features of a Top Rank Promotions card to be held at the Honda Center in Ana-heim, California. The event will be headlined by a middleweight fight between unbeaten Mexican welter title contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Alfonso Gomez.
Donaire (24-1, 16 knockouts), who ranks fourth in the Ring magazine?s Top 10 pound-for-pound rankings, will move up from junior bantamweight to face Sidorenko (22-2-2, 7 by knockouts) for a vacant interim belt.
?I?m excited. I?m finally fighting a guy who?s an elite fighter. Not only that, he?s an Olympic medalist, and he?s a former world champion,? Donaire told Filipino boxing scribe Dennis Guillermo of Examiner.com.
?So, I?m really excited about this fight because this guy [Sidorenko] is at a level that I want to be fighting. If I get past this guy, I?m ready for the big boys.?
He said that he was ready to fight Montiel as early as 2008, but the fight did not fan out.
?This time I am certain this fight will happen because I signed a contract?a two-fight deal and HBO has this fight in February 19,? Donaire said. ?I don?t want to look past Sidorenko, but I?m really excited for next year because if everything goes well, that?s a big fight with Montiel.?
Known for his readiness to fight the best fighters available, Donaire said he would also love to fight the winner of the bantamweight tournament being packaged by Showtime composed of top fighters Vic Darchinyan, Abner Mares, Yohnny Perez and Joseph Agbeko.
His chief trainer Robert Garcia, who is currently in the thick of preparing Mexican-American Antonio Margarito for his big fight against Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao, said he would fly to the San Francisco Bay Area immediately after the Pacquiao-Margarito fight to train Donaire.
?I was talking to him on the phone yesterday, and I?m pleased to know that Nonito?s training for Sidorenko is going very well,? Garcia said, adding that he talks to his prized Filipino boxer daily just to check on how he is doing.
Although considered the top Filipino boxer next only to the great Pacquiao, Donaire?s ring career has failed to take off in a very big way because of lack of big-ticket matches.
For instance, his much-anticipated rematch with Armenia-Australian knockout artist Dar-chinyan fizzled off last year, apparently on the revenue sharing of Philippine television rights.
