CEBU, Philippines ? He suffered a gut-wrenching defeat in his previous bout, but former five-division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (33-2, 21KOs) firmly believes that he still has a bright future in boxing and that he will prove it when he battles William Prado of Brazil (22-4, 15KOs) for the vacant WBC North America Boxing Federation super bantamweight title in the co-main event of “Pinoy Pride 30:D-Day” on March 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Donaire said he learned his lessons well from that sixth round knockout loss to Jamaican banger Nicholas Walters that cost him his WBA super featherweight crown on October 18 last year at the StubHub Center in Carson City, California.
“I made a mistake and I learned a lot of lessons out of that defeat against Walters. I rushed things up, wanting to finish him off early. Had I stuck to our gameplan, things would have been different,” said Donaire in a chat with sportscribes at the lobby of Rajah Park Hotel yesterday.
Despite that crushing setback that sent him crashing back to earth, Donaire said hanging up his gloves for good never crossed his mind as he knows deep within that he still what it takes to be in line with the world’s elite fighters.
“Honestly, I did not think about retirement after that loss because I have no doubt that I still have a future in boxing,” said Donaire, who speaks fluent Bisaya.
As he braces for his return bout with redemption at the back his mind, Donaire vows to be a better and smarter fighter.
