MANILA, Philippines ? These days, Nonito Donaire, Jr. looks like a man on a mission.
With his compatriot Manny Pacquiao hugging the limelight as his fight with Mexican banger Antonio Margarito approaches, Donaire shies away from public attention by quietly slipping into his own atmosphere at the Undisputed Boxing Gym in San Carlos, California.
Determined to finally make a lasting mark for his name, Donaire pounds away punching bags, double-end bags, and speed balls as he gears up for his December 4 bout against former bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko of Ukraine in the undercard of the Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.-Alfonso Gomez faceoff at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
?So far we have sparring guys coming in already,? said the 27-year-old Filipino, currently the No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer in the world behind big guns Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Juan Manuel Marquez, in an interview with Chris Robinson posted at Boxing Scene.
?Sparring to me is important? it?s what is going to get me in better shape. I focus more on what I bring to the table because I want them (his opponents) to fight my fight, not me fight their fight,? Donaire reveals. ?I am always versatile in that sense.?
Interestingly, Donaire will have Robert Garcia ?who is currently working with Margarito in Oxnard ? at the helm to whip him into fighting shape. Sidorenko, on the other hand, will have Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach in his corner, according to Top Rank?s big boss Bob Arum.
Donaire continues to impress people in each of his every performance in the ring, knocking down one opponent after another, tearing each of them down in a dominant and explosive fashion.
?He?s (Sidorenko) a tough fighter. He?s a good fighter,? Donaire says of Sidorenko during an earlier interview with Robinson. ?He has very good defense. He?s a shell that I need to crack and I?m just working on enabling how I can break that shell. I?m going to go in there and he?s going to be prepared for me.?
?I don?t see a lot of power in his punches. But he is a volume puncher, and when you get caught with one or two or three of them, you are definitely going to feel it in the long run,? Donaire added. ?That?s what makes him dangerous.?
?For me as a fighter, I will fight anybody,? he says. ?I know that he (Sidorenko) is a tough opponent and I am looking to make a statement by beating this guy and getting ready to face (Fernando) Montiel.?
Since moving up in weight, Donaire has had an eye on Montiel, the unified bantamweight titlist from Mexico who recently figured in a motorcycle accident while touring in Alamos, Mexico last month. Talks about scratching their proposed February 2011 bout surfaced right after the said incident, but Arum was quick to assure that everything will go as planned once Montiel gets cleared to resume training.
