MANILA, Philippines – WBO superbantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. said recently he intends to clean up the 122-pound division before moving up to invade the featherweight division but if there are lucrative offers on the table to short-cut his jump, the Filipino Flash won?t hesitate to make the leap.
At the moment, Donaire?s focus is on Mexico?s Jorge Arce, the flamboyant blood-and-guts warrior who has enlisted Hall of Fame trainer Nacho Beristain to join his team. Arce, 33, challenges Donaire in a 12-round title bout at the Toyota Center in Houston on Dec. 15.
?I think I can stay in the superbantamweight division as long as I want because I don?t have a problem making 122,? said Donaire. ?The night before the weigh-in for the (Toshiaki) Nishioka fight, I was still eating without restriction. Maybe, I?ll stay in the superbantamweight division for another year. But I know there are lucrative fights out there in the heavier classes. For instance, I heard (Orlando) Salido is calling me out. The problem is I don?t think he?ll get past Mikey (Garcia), if they ever fight, and I?ll never fight Mikey because his brother Robert is my trainer and we?re both managed by Cameron (Dunkin).?
Salido, 31, is the WBO featherweight champion with a 39-11-2 record, including 27 KOs. Last year, he was floored twice by Filipino challenger Weng Haya before recovering to score an eighth round knockout. Garcia, 24, has a 29-0 mark, with 25 KOs, and could be next in line for a shot at Salido?s crown, provided he disposes of Jonathan Barros in Las Vegas this weekend.
Donaire, 39, admitted that at the top of his wish list is WBC superbantamweight titlist Abner Mares of Mexico. ?More than anybody, I?d like to fight Mares,? said Donaire. ?But he?s with Golden Boy and I?m promoted by Top Rank. There?s a wall blocking the fight because we?re promoted by different groups. I think if we get it on, it?ll be a great fight.?
Mares, 26, is set to stake his throne against WBA bantamweight champion Anselmo Moreno of Panama at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday. Mares, a former IBF bantamweight titleholder, has gone the distance in his last five outings, including a win over Donaire victim Vic Darchinyan on a split decision. The Mexican has a 24-0-1 record, with 13 KOs.
As for WBA superbantamweight king Guillermo Rigondeaux, Donaire said he?s turned off by the Cuban whom he calls a bully. ?It?ll be an easy fight for me,? said Donaire. ?It?s not worth the trouble. First of all, Rigondeaux?s not marketable. Who?ll pay to watch him fight? Then he?s making all sorts of demands. The guy?s a bully and I?ve dealt with bullies before, back when I was still a kid. He?s not in the same level as me. I think it?ll be a boring fight, like when I fought (Omar) Narvaez. He?ll just stay away and run.?
Rigondeaux, 32, has an 11-0 record, with eight KOs. Last September, he outpointed Robert Marroquin. The two-time Olympic bantamweight gold medalist is a Cuban defector now based in Miami.
Down the road, Donaire said two fighters whom he?d someday like to face are Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa and American Adrien Broner. Once he decides to leave the superbantamweight division, Donaire said he?ll target Gamboa as a priority. Gamboa is the former WBA/IBF featherweight champion with a 21-0 record, including 16 KOs. The 31-year-old Cuban is now managed by rapper 50 Cent and lined up to face Miguel Beltran Jr. in the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez undercard in Las Vegas on Dec. 8. Broner, 23, has a 24-0 record, with 20 KOs, and is the WBO superfeatherweight champion. He is booked to battle Antonio DeMarco in a WBC lightweight title bout in Atlantic City on Nov. 17.
Donaire said while he realizes boxing is big business, nothing is important than the belt. ?It?s what I dream of,? he said. ?I don?t fight just for the money. I?m for collecting as many world championship belts as possible. It?s important to me. I work hard for the recognition. I guess my life has changed since becoming a world champion. Now, when I go to the mall or eat at a restaurant, people ask for my autograph or take my picture. I don?t mind it. It?s great to be appreciated. You work hard for something and you get recognized for it.?
The Arce fight hung in the balance until Top Rank chairman Bob Arum sealed it. Arce reportedly asked for too much money and in a compromise, Donaire agreed to fight in Mexico City. In the end, Arum finalized the deal for a Houston date. Arce is unbeaten in his last 11 bouts dating back to 2009 when he lost to South Africa?s Simphiwe Nonggayi on points. The Mexican later avenged the loss via a fourth round knockout.
Arce has held the WBC/WBO lightflyweight, interim WBC flyweight, WBO superflyweight, WBO bantamweight and WBO superbantamweight titles in a colorful career that began in 1996. He has a record of 61-6-2, with 46 KOs compared to Donaire?s 30-1, with 19 KOs. Arce usually enters the ring wearing a Cowboy hat with a lollipop in his mouth.
