MANILA, Philippines ?With middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. begging off from Top Rank?s pay-per-view main event this Sunday, Nonito Donaire, Jr. takes one big step forward to headline this weekend?s boxing feast.
Chavez, Jr. was set to face late replacement Pawel Wolak in the event?s main card ? dubbed as ?In Harm?s Way? ? at the Honda Center in Anaheim California this Sunday, but was forced to withdraw after battling flu-like symptoms and suffering from high fever earlier this week.
With that, Donaire, who carries a 24-1 win-loss card that includes 16 victories via knockouts, moves on to headline Top Rank?s presentation as he clashes with veteran Ukranian Wladimir Sidorenko (22-2-2, 7 KOs) for the vacant interim World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight title.
Donaire has been hailed as one of the sport?s most entertaining fighters, having disposed each and every opponent thrown at him in dominant and explosive fashion. He is currently ranked fifth in The Ring?s official pound-for-pound rankings, behind the likes of big-time champions Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, and Sergio Martinez.
Despite such recognition, Donaire refuses to be swayed by what most experts think about him and, instead, regards himself only as a ?star waiting to explode.?
?I?m really flattered by THE RING?s ranking,? Donaire said, as quoted by The Ring?s Doug Fischer, during a media workout at the Fortune Gym in Los Angeles on Tuesday. ?I?m honored by it and by any other website or magazine that ranks me with the best in the sport, but I don?t think I deserve it yet. I have to fight more elite fighters to deserve it.?
The spotlight on Donaire came about after his fifth round demolition of Armenian-born brawler Vic Darchinyan in July 2007, earning for himself the ?Knockout of the Year? and the ?Upset of the Year? distinction from The Ring, considered as the Bible of Boxing.
?So far, I?ve got one guy (Darchinyan) on my record. I need more. In my opinion, I have the ability and the skills to be ranked that high, but I want to prove it to fans, and I want to see it for myself. I have to show my potential in fights against the best,? said the 28-year-old Donaire.
?I want to be more entertaining,? he said. ?I need to be a busier fighter. I enjoy a strategic fight, but I?ve begun to realize that boxing is not just an art, it?s entertainment,? Donaire reveals. ?I?ve got to go out and entertain fans the way Marquez and Katsidis did, just like Soto and Antillon will.?
Training under the eyes of Robert Garcia, Donaire made a bold move to step one weight class higher in the hopes of facing more distinguished, quality opponents.
?He?s a good, good fighter. I just know that everyone is looking for that next big fight and I don?t know if he is there yet,? said renowned boxing historian Bert Sugar, as quoted by Chris Robinson, when asked about his assessment of the Filipino boxer?s career so far. ?We?re waiting for breakthrough fighters to be marquee fighters. They are going to have to fill certain voids that are going to pop up like Paul Williams with his loss or retirement. Boxing is looking for that next big star.?
And indeed, Donaire has what it takes to fill that void.
Donaire?s rare combination of speed, power, and big heart is certainly huge offering coming from a Filipino boxer who is slowly emerging from the shadows of Pacquiao.
What motivates Donaire to come out victorious this Sunday is the potential superfight he has been waiting for his entire career: a February 19, 2011 bout against Fernando Montiel of Mexico.
The 31-year-old Montiel, acknowledged by Fischer as ?Mexico?s most talented boxer,? is ranked No. 1 in The Ring?s bantamweight rating, where Sidorenko used to reign as the No. 3 contender before losing his belt in consecutive losses against Anselmo Moreno in 2008 and 2009. Donaire, on the other hand, isn?t even seeded in the said division.
?I have great respect for Montiel,? Donaire said. ?He beat (Hozumi) Hasegawa, who is excellent. He?s been at the world-championship level since before I turned pro. He?s definitely a Top 10 pound-for-pound fighter, and he?s without question the best in the bantamweight division.?
Sugar agrees without hesitation.
?I think both of them (Montiel and Donaire) have a lot to gain and so does, not incidentally, boxing. It sounds like a good matchup to me,? said the veteran boxing expert.
With Montiel in sight, Donaire is driven even more to prove a point he has been trying to tell the whole world: that he deserves to face big time foes and earn the respect and recognition due him.
?I know that Montiel is lurking just around the corner, but that just motivates me to focus more on Sidorenko,? he added. ?He?s just like Montiel. He?s been there, too. He knows how to win. Only one man has beat him. I know he wants to prove that he still has it. He wants to make it in America.?
