LOS ANGELES ? There?s something different about Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire Jr. these days.
There?s a certain hop in his step and a little more flavor in his punches. His fierceness inside the ring is nothing like his genial demeanor outside of it.
Even his trainer Robert Garcia noticed something different about the Filipino super flyweight champion during training camp.
?We would finish a 12-round sparring session and he?d be laughing and smiling,? said Garcia. ?Most guys would be dead tired but I don?t know there?s just something different with him. I was impressed.?
?I?m ready. I?m pumped. This is my shot,? said Donaire Jr. to the Asian Journal.
Donaire Jr. is referring to what he believes is an opportunity to get due recognition. Everyone in the Philippines is aware of Donaire?s boxing skills, but he always felt he wanted something more. He?s begged Top Rank, his promoter, to place him in bigger fights, and in a heavier weight class.
This Saturday, he?ll be one step closer.
Donaire is headlining Top Rank?s In Harm?s Way card this Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Donaire took the top billing in the card after Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. suffered an illness in the last week of training camp, forcing the Mexican middleweight to drop out. Chavez Jr.?s illness has paved the way for Donaire to shine in the main event spotlight.
Donaire, who will be moving up from flyweight to bantamweight, will face off against former WBA bantamweight titlist Volodymyr Sydorenko for an interim WBA title. And the importance of this bout for Donaire is magnified because of the fact that he needs to win in order to preserve a future match ? already signed – with bantamweight head honcho Fernando Montiel in February. HBO has already purchased the rights to televise the fight.
?I?m so focused right now. I?m set on beating Sydorenko,? said Donaire during the final press conference at the Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday. ?No matter what, I need to go in there and beat him. I feel like you guys are going to see a different Nonito Donaire. I?m more motivated than ever and I?m ready to give my all inside the ring.?
Sydorenko has other plans. The 34-year-old Ukranian (22-2-2 7 KOs) said if Donaire (24-1 16 KOs) expects him to be a stepping-stone in his career, he has another coming to him.
?I?m not just going to be a stepping stone so he can fight in a bigger match,? said Sydorenko through an interpreter. ?I?m a former world champion and Olympic medalist. This is my first fight in the US. People can expect one thing from me ? a win.?
Donaire said Sydorenko will be a tough opponent, but he expects to not only win but also win impressively.
?I want to make a statement to Montiel,? said Donaire.
Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said it?s important for Donaire to win — and win in an exciting fashion, this Saturday. Arum said not only was Donaire not ready to
be a main event fighter but also, the major networks like HBO are hesitant to put ?the little guys, the 115-118 pound boxer in the show.?
?This fight is very important for Donaire because it leads to Montiel and other bigger fights down the road,? said Arum. ?Next year is the year for Donaire. That?s when we?re going to make a big push for him.?
Arum on Pacquiao?s next opponent
Bob Arum said he would choose Sugar Shane Mosley to be Manny Pacquiao?s next opponent but it?s not up to him to decide.
?If I had to pick I?d choose Mosley but it?s not up me. It?s up to Manny,? said Arum.
Arum said he has not heard from the Floyd Mayweather Jr. camp about a possible mega match with the Filipino champion but he has spoken with Andre Berto?s promoter Lou DiBella and although he hasn?t spoken to Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer directly because of an ongoing feud, Top Rank has been in contact with Golden Boy regarding a Pacquiao re-match with Mexican lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
Arum said right now, he?s taking in the proposals from the various camps and will discuss the offers in person with Pacquiao in the coming weeks.
Arum said he and Pacquiao?s trainer, Freddie Roach, will be flying to the Philippines to celebrate Pacquiao?s 32nd birthday. He expects Pacquiao to have a decision by then on whom to fight next.
?I?m going to show him all the proposals and he?s going to decide,? said Arum.
