MANILA, Philippines – Expecting to face tougher opposition when he moves up to the superbantamweight division, Nonito Donaire Jr. said the other day the warriors looming in the horizon guarantee no more boring fights like his recent shutout over an uncooperative Omar Narvaez.
Donaire admitted he himself was bored in winning every round easily with Narvaez refusing to engage in retaining his WBC/WBO bantamweight titles in Las Vegas.
?I was frustrated in a sense,? said Donaire. ?I expected a lot from Narvaez but he just didn?t care about winning. I?m disappointed for the New York fans. I?d never fought anyone like Narvaez before. I tried switch-hitting because fighting a southpaw, I was worried about getting tripped or butted. I wanted a knockout and I lost my patience a little bit. He wouldn?t open up. I couldn?t tee off because he kept moving. I?d throw a combination and before I could land the big one, he?d be out of range. He wasn?t stationary. He was a slick left-hander.?
Donaire said he even brought down his guard deliberately to invite the Argentinian to let his hands go. ?Narvaez never hurt me,? he continued. ?In the third round, he threw a right that looked like it landed hard because my head moved but what I actually did was to roll with the punch. In the (Fernando) Montiel fight, I did that, too. I got Montiel to throw so I could counter. Because Narvaez wouldn?t engage and stand still, I think I connected only with 60 percent of my power. On a scale of 1 to 10, I?d rate his defense a 9 but overall, he?d be a 3 because you don?t win a fight with pure defense.?
