Bantamweight

Following his TKO win over highly rated Japanese fighter Toshiaki Nishioka Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire is now inching toward his long-awaited pay-per-view (PPV) debut against the popular Mexican fighter Jorge Arce.

The long-awaited PPV debut for Donaire could happen as early as December either in Mexico or in the United States, provided Arce does not price himself out in negotiations and that Donaire's injured left hand heals in time for the fight.

After his victory over Nishioka, the "Filipino Flash" was in obvious pain—his left-hand glove was pulled, showing blood stains from his white hand wrap. His hand injury surfaced after his fight against Wilfredo Vazquez in San Antonio, Texas, last year.

Donaire's promoter, Bob Arum, who likewise promotes Jorge Arce, said he could arrange a fight with Jorge Arce as early as December. “If his hands heal, we could do that fight,” said Arum (via Inquirer.net).

But Donaire's manager, Cameron Dunkin, said Arce has already priced himself out for having demanded a purse of over $1 million. Donaire has yet to get a $1 million purse in his career. He was reportedly paid around $800,000 for his fight with Nishioka.

“I would love to fight Arce,” said Dunkin. “That would be a great fight, that would be a pay-per-view fight on demand because of the Mexican and Filipino fans. Then they can share the pay-per-view revenues on top of their guaranteed purse.”

In the post-fight interview Saturday, Arum said (via Philstar.com) he will try to secure more fights for Donaire, who has previously expressed his desire to fight more than twice a year under Arum's Top Rank Promotions.

Donaire has what it takes to be a PPV star because of his entertaining style and his awesome displays of speed and power as he moves around the ring.

An indication Donaire is ripe to headline a PPV fight of his own is the fact that he has already attracted substantial attendance numbers in his most recent fights.

If the Donaire-Arce fight makes it onto pay-per-view, it could be the first to be covered on PPV for a bantamweight or even featherweight bout, as it has been observed that PPV fights appeal more to heavier weight classes.

Jorge Arce, who hails from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, is the current WBO bantamweight and the second Mexican boxer to win titles in four weight divisions. He is 33 years old and stands 5'4" with a win-loss record of 60-6 with two draws.

The 29-year-old Donaire is a Filipino-American fighter who originally hails from General Santos City, Philippines. "The Filipino Flash" has a win-loss record of 30-1, and he is a four-division world titlist. At 5'7" with a reach of 63 inches, he stands three inches higher than Arce.

A knockout win or a very impressive victory by Nonito Donaire over top rated Japanese fighter Toshiaki Nishioka will likely catch the attention of the cable networks like HBO and Showtime for possible pay-per-view (PPV) headliner fight next year.

Donaire has what it takes to be a PPV star because of his entertaining style and his awesome displays of speed and power as he moves around the ring.

An indication Donaire is ripe to headline a PPV fight of his own is the fact that he has already attracted substantial attendance numbers in his most recent fights.

Earlier reports show almost all tickets for his showdown with Nishioka have been sold out, with still  four days before the fight at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on Saturday.

Donaire's promoter Bob Arum said, via inquirer.net, only the $35.00 seats which are in the rafters are up for grabs in the weekend boxing event.

“Everybody who loves boxing (will) come out to The Home Depot Center because they are going to see a card second to none. Two great fights and a terrific undercard and tickets reasonably priced. Almost all of the tickets are sold except for the $35 tickets. So for $35 you can watch history,” said Arum.

Days before Donaire's encounter with Jeffrey Meathebula, Arum said the Filipino Flash has yet to prove his worth in the PPV market.

“It’s all about visibility,” Arum told the Asian Journal in July. “You don’t become a pay-per-view fighter until people are used to seeing you in difficult fights like Manny [Pacquiao], it took him some time to [become a pay-per-view fighter]. Same thing will happen to Nonito Donaire.”

Arum also said that Donaire should consider moving up to a higher weight class as fighters in the heavier categories appeal more to the PPV market.

Donaire was reportedly guaranteed $750,000 for the Mathebula fight which is about the same purse he got for facing Omar Narvaez last year. Top Rank has yet to disclose Donaire's guaranteed purse for facing Nishioka.

But Arum hinted Donaire will be headlining a PPV fight next year if he performs well against Niashioka.

The main undercard for the HBO-televised card is a 10-round Junior welterweight fight between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado.  

Unified WBO and IBF bantamweight  titleholder  Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire and former WBO bantamweight champion Jorge "El Travieso" Arce are looking forward to a lucrative fight in October.

Bob Arum, whose Top Rank Promotions handles Donaire, has just confirmed a possible clash between the two bantamweight kings.

Cameron Dunkin, who manages Donaire's boxing career, said he knew Donaire's victory over Jeffrey Mathebula Saturday will lead to a collision with Arce.

“It’s Arce either in October or November. We are committed to fight Arce, we have an agreement, verbal agreement, to fight Arce.” Dunkin said via Marc Anthony Reyes of the Phillipine Daily Inquirer.

 “We are also in verbal agreement to fight another guy and then we start looking at (WBA champion Guillermo Rigondeaux,” Dunkin added.

Dunkin could be referring to Toshiaki Nishioka, who Arum mentioned as Donaire's next opponent after he gets past Arce in October. Arum also mentioned Abner Mares, who's fighting under the umbrella of Golden Boy Promotions.

Boxing insiders say Mares is a long shot due to the long-running feud between Top Rank and Golden Boy over intense business rivalry.

Donaire is looking forward to his first million-dollar purse under Top Rank. In his quite impressive victory over Mathebula Saturday night, he was reported to have pocketed $750,000 as his guaranteed purse according to Leo Reyes of the Digital Journal.

Donaire knocked down Mathebula in the fourth round, but luckily, the South African champion was saved by the bell.

After the knockdown, Mathebula quickly recovered and engaged Donaire with few successful hits. The lanky South African refused to go toe-to-toe with Donaire throughout the fight, opting instead to fight from the outside using his reach and height advantages.

It was a frustrating fight for Donaire as he had to chase Mathebula who was more concerned about blocking Donaire's left hook which put him down in the fourth round.

With the win last Saturday, Donaire seems ripe for a pay-per-view market debut, but, according to Marc Anthony Reyes of the Phillipine Daily Inquirer, Arum said he won't be in it until early next year, possibly against Rigondeaux.

Arum said HBO is not sure yet if the public will to buy PPV subscriptions in the lower divisions particularly in the bantamweight level.

The veteran 32-year-old Arce, who hails from Mexico, has 68 professional fights to his credit, winning 60 and losing six with two draws. He's the second fighter from Mexico has won world titles in four weight divisions.

Arce is an orthodox fighter and stands 5'4" or at least three inches shorter than Donaire's height which is 5'7".

Make no mistake about it, the fight that everybody is going to be paying for is the one scheduled to take place between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley. That being said, the bout between Jorge Arce and Jesus Manuel Rojas is going to be well worth the price of admission, or pay-per-view, all on it's own.

Get ready for an epic night of fights, boxing fans, because this card is going to be incredible.

Obviously, the whole sporting world stops to take notice anytime Pacquiao puts on the gloves and gets between the ropes, but he may not even be the main attraction on his own card.

Bradley is certainly not a fighter to take lightly, and I'm sure he's going to give Pacman a fight. But there's a ton of excitement coming from the prospect of a great undercard, where Arce is scheduled to fight.

With a career that boasts a 60-6-2 record with 46 knockouts, Arce is undoubtedly the favorite in this bout. While Rojas' numbers are also impressive—18-1-1 with 13 knockouts—he's going to be going up against a wealth of experience when he gets in the ring with Arce.

Not only that, but Arce knows that he has the opportunity to put on a great show on a big stage, according to his quote via Miguel Rivera of boxingscene.com:

"Do not worry, I am always ready for war, for a big fight. I'm very motivated and I am very excited because I'm going to support a Manny Pacquiao card. I know Pacquiao's fights are watched all over the world and that motivates me. I am ready to go twelve rounds, I'm ready for a big fight," Arce said. "If Rojas comes very well prepared, we're definitely going to steal the show, but if he isn't ready - we'll go to dinner early."

Pacquiao vs. Bradley is going to provide a ton of hype, and it will certainly be a good bout, but this undercard fight between Arce and Rojas is going to be very exciting.

I expect Rojas will provide that entertainment for boxing fans.

Not only does he have the in-ring experience, but he's a vicious fighter. He's got quick hands, isn't afraid to attack and doesn't seem phased when he gets hit—which is easily one of the most underrated qualities of a great fighter.

Also, factor in his 46 KOs. He may be ready to go 12 rounds with Rojas, but I have a sneaky suspicion that he'll be delivering fireworks before the final bell, and that alone is worth the watch.

If that were all, I'd still be excited to watch him between the ropes, but add in the fact that he appears to understand exactly the type of stage that he's fighting on, and it's hard not to expect something great from the veteran boxer.

Standing in front of his adoring Mexican fans, Jorge Arce celebrated not only his new WBO bantamweight title, but also the possibility of a huge fight with pound-for-pound contender Nonito Donaire.

Arce won a comfortable decision on all three cards, but could have had an easier night against Angky Angkotta. Arce made unconvincing start in which Angkotta put him under unrelenting pressure. This worked against the Indonesian; twice he was on the verge of hitting the canvas in the third.

In the middle rounds, Arce began to build a lead, controlling Angkotta as he came forward. Angkotta rattled both Arce and the Mexican fans in the eighth when he visibly hurt the favourite.

Arce would regain some energy and come back strongly in the 11th. Punch after punch rained down from the Mexican and left Angkotta clinging to the ropes.

In a frantic 12th round, Angkotta went hell for leather. He went for the knockout to avenge his loss to Arce when the pair met at the junior bantamweight in 2010.

There would be no revenge, however. Arce managed to hold on for a unanimous decision.

The question is: Where will Arce go from here?

He could be in for the biggest fight of his life against the second best boxer in the Philippines. People may argue that Arce will not stand a chance against Donaire, but this win puts him squarely in the frame.

The favourite to fight Donaire next is Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., who lost a fight of the year to Arce in May. The other name widely mentioned has been South African IBF Champion Takalani Ndlovu.

By winning his fifth title in as many weights, Arce can now wait to move back up and face the winner of Nonaire's next fight. After this latest brutal fight, hopefully Arce can earn a big payday.

Manny Pacquiao is training hard for his third bout with Juan Manuel Marquez.

The two fought to a draw in their first bout and Pacquiao won in a split decision the second time around.

Things are different now though. Pacquiao is considered the world's top pound-for-pound fighter and JMM is stepping up in weight for the first time since his bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

But while that fight is still a little less than a month away, there is a fight this weekend that has the aura of Pacquiao surrounding it as well.

Nonito Donaire, a 28-year-old Filipino fighter, is set to defend his unified WBO and WBC bantamweight titles at Madison Square Garden against Omar Narvaez.

Donaire is 26-1 with 18 knockouts in his career and credits Pacquiao as a huge inspiration in his career.

The two, according to an article from On the Beak, are friends and have even sparred together.

The quoted defending champion talking on Top Rank TV as saying:

"Manny is a part of why I’m here, he’s inspired me ... There’s no impossibility of what a man can do when they have that desire in the ring. Manny’s a big part of my success [and] was one of my inspirations as a Filipino. Manny opened a door for me ... I’ve known him since 2000… we used to karaoke a lot and he taught me how to fight lefties. I sparred with Manny in 2001 back at Wildcard."

That training will come in handy as he'll take on undefeated Argentine southpaw, Omar Narvaez, on October 22.

The 36-year-old fighter is 35-0-2 for his career, but gives up four inches to the "Filipino Flash."

The fight will be a battle, but one that Donaire feels more than ready to handle.

If his inspiration from Manny Pacquiao is any indication, he'll do just fine at the Garden.

While already 28-years-old, Donaire seems poised to take the reigns as the top Filipino fighter in the sport whenever Pacquiao decides to hang up the gloves.

Nonito Donaire, the WBC and WBO bantamweight champion and The Ring's No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, makes his Madison Square Garden debut against the undefeated, two-division world champion Omar Narvaez this Saturday, October 22.

I watch too much boxing to buy the hype that one particularly bad PPV sounds the death toll for the entire sport. Just the same, it is probably a good thing the next nationally prominent fight following the embarrassment of last weekend's Hopkins-Dawson fiasco will be featuring the almost always exciting "Filipino Flash" Donaire against Argentinian Narvaez. Nothing is ever sure in sports, but this matchup should bring the thrills one way or another.

For those unfamiliar with Donaire, last week I published this short primer on the fighter many consider the most exciting young talent in the sport.

I also posted this piece featuring highlights from a media call I sat in on last Thursday with Donaire, his trainer Robert Garcia and his promoter Bob Arum.  

This fight will be broadcast live on HBO's Boxing After Dark, starting at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. I will also be blogging the fight live with updates on preliminary bouts and a between round scorecard, right here on Bleacher Report from the press row of historical Madison Square Garden. 

Check back throughout the week for updates and breaking information on this exciting New York City matchup. 

Yesterday afternoon, I participated in a media conference call set up by Top Rank Boxing in which bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, his trainer Robert Garcia and his promoter Bob Arum discussed Donaire's October 22 fight in Madison Square Garden against undefeated, two-division champion Omar Narvaez of Argentina. 

Arum's objective for this fight is clear—he wants Donaire's debut in the historic Garden to be a signature moment in the sport's history. He's promoting a fight in nine days, sure. But the end goal is a career that he hopes might become boxing's next big thing.

"I really believe Nonito will become a big star in boxing," Arum said. "People who are fans of boxing already know he's one of the pound-for-pound best boxers. Our goal is to make him a superstar. We expect as he rises in weight, he will become more popular."

But when pressed for a timeline for when Donaire's big ascent to superstardom might occur, the veteran promoter demurred, "The goal like with anything in boxing is to make him a pay-per-view attraction. To put a time line on it is kind of silly. It will happen when it happens—I'm not going to set an artificial projection of when it has to happen."

One thing Donaire made clear was that this will be his last fight at 118 pounds. "I definitely didn't expect it to be this difficult—it wasn't easy the last two fights."

Donaire explained that since his last fight, a sensational second-round KO of Fernando Montiel, he has trained hard to bulk up physically, adding heavy muscle mass to his frame.

Donaire added that he looked forward to his potential challenges when moving up, noting "there are a lot of incredible fighters (that) Top Rank has at 122."

While there was a lot of talk during the call about Donaire's future, the fighter and trainer made it very clear that they were not looking past their opponent for a week from this Saturday. Garcia emphasized that "Donaire took this fight very seriously." He added, "We've had great sparring, a great training camp—Nonito is in tremendous shape."

Donaire echoed that the training for this fight has been rigorous. "I really put my faith in my training," the 29-year-old rising star stated humbly. "That's what my confidence comes from, training really hard."

While team Donaire was clearly optimistic about their chances, they were quick to emphasize that they consider Narvaez a world-class talent and a legitimate threat, despite the fact that he gives up four inches to Donaire and not an insignificant amount of foot and hand speed.

Garcia noted that Narvaez is "very experienced. He knows how to take a fight into the later rounds."

When I asked Garcia if he saw any specific tactical problems Narvaez might present, he replied, "He's been in with good fighters, but no Nonito Donaire's. So he's going to be putting together a game plan with his team, and we'll have to take the first few rounds and see what he's trying to do. We'll see what he does. Nonito's very good at reacting." 

All the smart money has to be on Donaire for this fight. The 26(18)-1 Filipino-American would seem to just be too physically powerful and athletically gifted for the 5'3" Narvaez, 35(19)-0-2. The game plan clearly calls for Donaire to put this victory in the bank and continue his march toward greatness. 

Arum's placement of Donaire in Madison Square Garden at this point is a clear-cut attempt to raise his talented client's profile. "It will be great for Nonito's future to get exposure in New York, against an undefeated opponent."

Nonito Donaire versus Omar Narvaez will be broadcast on HBO's Boxing After Dark at 10:30 ET on October 22. I will be blogging the fight live from Madison Square Garden.