Dropping from 140 pounds to make the limit of 112 is no problem for IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. who assured yesterday he?ll be fit and ready to rumble against Mexican challenger Luis Maldonado in Connecticut on Dec. 1.
Donaire allayed fears he?ll be stripped of the title on the scales and said his weight management program is right on schedule. Since arriving from the US with his father Nonito Sr. to train in Cebu last month, Donaire has worked himself into tip-top shape. The Donaires return to the US on Saturday and will make their way to Connecticut at least four days before the fight.
Donaire, who turned 25 last Friday, has been carefully watching his diet to avoid difficulties at the weigh-in the day before the bout. To control his weight, he eats an eggplant tortilla and a boiled egg for breakfast, skips lunch and takes another egg and a vegetable dish for dinner. Donaire stays away from juices and gulps down lots of water.
?It?s a constant struggle,? said his father. ?But Jun?s used to it. He knows his body.?
Donaire said the drop in weight was gradual and his body has adjusted to his diet.
?I?m down to 113 and depending on what I eat, I still go up to 121 but I?m balancing my food intake,? said Donaire. ?I feel strong. It?s all about discipline and hard work. My dad and I came to Cebu without knowing about my next fight. My focus was to lose weight and get ready for my first defense. I arrived weighing about 133. Slowly, I?ve brought down my weight to where it is now.?
In his daily training regimen, Donaire runs in the morning, works out in the gym early afternoon and tapers off with another run before nightfall.
At the Mall of Asia parking lot last week, Donaire treated fans to a punch-mitt routine and shadow-boxing in a makeshift ring. He was in Manila for a day and showed up with a bruise under his right eye, the result of furious sparring with Michael Domingo, Rocky Fuentes, Louie Bantigue, Reman Salim and Weng Haya at the ALA gym.
Manny Pacquiao?s trainer Buboy Fernandez, watching at ringside, said Donaire can?t afford to be dehydrated when he fights Maldonado or else, he?ll run out of gas by the sixth round. Another boxing expert Leonel Lazarito said judging from his physique, Donaire may have outgrown the flyweight division and should be ready to move up to superflyweight where the limit is 115 pounds.
Donaire campaigned as a superflyweight before slipping down to flyweight for the chance to fight Vic Darchinyan for the IBF crown.
Donaire said Darchinyan was a huge favorite in their fight but he wasn?t fazed.
?The fans thought I?d go down,? he said. ?Nobody gave me a chance. But I studied Darchinyan?s style for two months. I knew I could beat him. I did the impossible.?
Donaire knocked out Darchinyan with a single left hook to the jaw in the fifth round to wrest the IBF title.
As for Maldonado, Donaire said he?s up against a rugged opponent who likes to switch-hit. ?I?m not taking him lightly,? said Donaire. ?He?s only lost to Darchinyan. He drew with (Christian) Mijares who beat up (Jorge) Arce so that?s an indication of how tough he is. I?m confident of my speed, power and intelligence. I saw Maldonado?s fight against Darchinyan on tape and I?ve studied his style. I know I can take him.?
Donaire said he?s not in a hurry to leave the flyweight division.
?There are two Japanese world flyweight champions and I?d like to fight them to unify the title,? said Donaire. ?I?m looking for big fights. Down the road, I hope to fight Arce. I don?t want to wait too long for Arce because I want to fight him in his prime, not when he?s on the way out.?
Manny Pacquiao?s former business manager Rod Nazario said he foresees a long reign for Donaire. ?He has power and like Manny, he?s not afraid in the ring,? said Nazario. ?He?s got a big heart.?
