Disappointed by the cancellation of his Dubai bout, IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. is looking forward to fighting in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-David Diaz mainer in Las Vegas on June 28 but so far, no offer has been put on the table.
Donaire?s father and trainer Nonito Sr. arrived here from their home in San Leandro, California, last Wednesday and is now in Davao setting up a stable of young Filipino fighters. He, too, is disappointed nothing came of the Dubai project.
Third Force Promotions president Noli Eala canceled the Dubai card when Arab financiers failed to comply with conditions in the contract to proceed with the $1 million undertaking.
Donaire began training for Dubai at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas last February but packed up three days after Pacquiao beat Juan Manuel Marquez when Eala encountered problems in the negotiations. The Dubai fight would?ve been held this month.
Eala said Third Force is planning to stage a big boxing card here in July, perhaps to be headlined by Donaire. Nothing is final but Eala said he is now in the process of preparing a budget and checking on fighters? availabilities.
Donaire Sr. told The Star yesterday he was pessimistic about the Dubai project pushing through from the start.
?Jun was already in the thick of training and his weight was down to 121 pounds,? said Donaire Sr. ?We were like ?kenkoys? because we didn?t know if the fight would go on or not and we were in the gym everyday. Finally, we decided to pack up. I never thought it was a good idea to fight in Dubai.?
Donaire Sr. said the fight could?ve been staged in Manila or Cebu instead.
?Jun?s the champion so why did we even think of fighting in Dubai?? asked Donaire Sr. ?I know there is a large Filipino community in the Middle East but Jun?s fan base is in the Philippines. I think Jun is a bigger draw than any other Filipino world champion except Manny.?
Donaire Sr. said his son received a $10,000 advance from promoter Gary Shaw for training expenses but the amount was hardly enough to sustain living in Las Vegas.
?It?s not cheap to live in Las Vegas which was where we decided to train,? said Donaire Sr. ?So the money went quickly. Jun hasn?t fought since December so he wants to stay active. He wants to fight. Fighting is his living and if he isn?t fighting, he isn?t earning.?
Donaire Sr. said manager Cameron Dunkin is now studying options as to whom his son could fight next. He would?ve staked his IBF crown against Australian challenger Hussein Hussein in Dubai.
?We?re still open to fight Hussein,? said Donaire Sr. ?But personally, I?d like Jun to challenge (Fernando) Montiel. That would be a great fight in Manny?s undercard. Imagine two Filipino world champions in the same card.?
The hitch is Montiel, 29, is booked to defend his WBO superflyweight title against Luis Maldonado on May 3 in Mexico. Maldonado was the same fighter whom Donaire knocked out in the first defense of his crown in Connecticut last December. Montiel has a 36-2-1 record, with 27 KOs, and last year, scored a disputed split 12-round decision over Z Gorres in Cebu.
