EXPECT no love lost between Nonito Donaire Jr. and Vic Darchinyan when the former world champions collide on Sunday in a rematch of their 2007 showdown at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
?I am always happy to be in the ring. It doesn?t matter who my opponent is. I just want to fight the best. Top Rank and HBO gave me this opportunity so I am happy to get back in there,? Donaire told BoxingScene.com.
Donaire (31-2 with 20 knockouts) scored a stunning fifth-round technical knockout win over the favored Darchinyan on July 7, 2007, when the then little-known Filipino-American fighter caught his Armenian foe with a crushing left hook in a furious exchange.
Darchinyan (39-5-1 with 28 KOs) was undefeated in 28 bouts at the time and was making his seventh defense of his International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight titles when Donaire pulled off the upset win.
The Filipino even earned the Knockout and Upset of the Year awards with that stunning win.
Donaire said he has no problem facing Darchinyan at 126 pounds. ?I don?t have to worry about the week of the fight where I would have to cut down almost 10 pounds. Now I can focus on the game plan and not cutting weight,? he said.
Donaire wants to prove that his knockout win over Darchinyan is no fluke. He is also eager to bounce back after coming off a unanimous-decision loss to two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0 with eight KOs) of Cuba early this year.
?It?s time to get better, correct that mistake [against Rigondeaux]. We?re correcting it slowly, getting better all the time. It was like I was just walking without direction,? said Donaire in a separate interview by Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.
?I hit a wall and kept walking instead of going left or going around. I didn?t use the jab. I was relying on one thing: the left hook. We?re trying to correct that with combinations and intelligence,? he added.
Donaire Sr., who was at the corner when the Filipino Flash scored that emphatic win, reunites with his son to help in the training camp of Coach Roberto Garcia at the latter?s gym in Oxnard, California.
Darchinyan, meanwhile, is aching for some payback after being humiliated by Donaire that cost him his two world championship belts.
?This is an important fight for me. I?m training good [and] I will be in the best shape. Everything is good [and] I?m very happy with my training. We have [a few more] days. This is the moment,? said Darchinyan in an interview by FightNews.com?s Miguel Maravilla.
