Flyweight

“I want this fight because I always fight the best and they say he's the best but I know I can beat him. I will prove to him, He has never fought a fighter like me. He is not a monster, I can beat him," replied Jorge Arce when asked why he wants to face Nonito Donaire.

"I don't know why they fought Vazquez when I beat Vazquez, they should have fought me, and they knew I wanted this fight. I don't know if it's him or his people but someone if afraid of me fighting Donaire," continued Arce.

As mentioned by Bob Arum before, Nonito will be facing Arce next. If this is indeed the case, and Arum decides to make his words a reality, then we might have a very exciting matchup in the works. Despite being listed as one of the top current pound-for-pound fighters in boxing, Donaire’s last two fights have proven to be a real challenge for the young Filipino.

Arce is definitely not a challenger that should be taken lightly, and is most certainly the kind of fighter that will deliver pressing action all through the fight no matter what is in his way. Donaire, is more of a technical boxer, taking his time and looking for mistakes in his opposition.

Two things we know about Arce: the first is that he has a well tested and proven granite chin, and second is that Arce has an unparalleled heart and spirit, and will come for you without a second thought.

Donaire has amazing lighting fast hand speed, respectable power and a fairly developed ring I.Q.

I see this as an incredibly interesting, well worth the money (if shown on PPV) event. To be honest, I wouldn’t even know whom to favor. Has Nonito ever faced anyone with similar offensive ability? Can he fight the entire fight while constantly moving back? I am not sure whether he can or can’t, but if facing Arce, he should definitely improve on that.

For Arce, it’s the speed he will have to deal with. Of course Arce will have to take a ton of punches before getting Donaire cornered or into the ropes, but over time it becomes very obvious that he has no problem with getting hit.

For either fighter this would be a very rewarding victory.

We all heard about a story of a young Filipino fighter who fought his way up and won titles in return. The unprecedented eight different weight division titles were a feat no one could ever replicate in this lifetime.

Manny Pacquiao has done it, and he has paved the way for aspiring fighters. He made it possible─ from the slums to the bright city lights of Las Vegas.

Nonito Donaire, who had recently won his fourth weight division title against the sturdy Puerto Rican Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., is certainly on the right track. The Filipino flash had his eyes set on winning titles all the way to the light-weight division.

Four years before, people would laugh at the thought of a fighter in the lower weight, knocking out bigger oppositions and collecting belts on his way up. Pacquiao did it and Nonito with his skills and knockout power had followed Manny’s footsteps and had so far been successful in his quest.

Four down and hopefully four more to go, which means after his acid test in the super bantamweight division, he will move up to featherweight, super featherweight, light weight and light welterweight which is 20 pounds bigger than his fighting weight now.

So Nonito would be on collision course with Yuriorkis Gamboa, Juan Manuel Lopez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley and a lot more hard-hitting fighters.

You would have to think about how will Nonito handle everything? How would he handle the bigger fighters without injuring his hands again? Questions will have to be answered with more questions…

Will Nonito make his own unprecedented eight? Yes and no.

Manny Pacquiao is an anomaly, a fighter that fought in the minimum weight who had an 8-inch wrist similar to Mike Tyson and Joe Louis. (Pacquiao's wrist) It just goes to show why he carried that power all the way to super welterweight without getting his hands injured.

Donaire on the other hand, generates so much power and force on his size that the impact usually leaves his hands getting injured. It needs to be corrected, but he also needs to fight smarter.

In his fight with Vazquez, he could have dominated him easily, but he was so keen on giving everybody a good fight that he always looks for a knockout. It did come in the ninth round, but his left hand was already injured and bloodied.

Going back to the question…would he make his own eight division world titles? Yes, if he fights smarter and no, if he doesn’t.

However, Nonito doesn’t have to follow Pacquiao. He doesn’t need to create his own pressure. He is equally great and he already made his own legacy.

Muhammad Ali says it better: “I know where I'm going, and I know the truth, and I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want.”

Nonito Donaire’s legacy will always be his…we don’t create directions for other people. They are free to choose their own paths.

Nonito Donaire kept rolling along with a dominant victory over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. on Saturday night to capture the WBO Super Bantamweight Championship. It was not a perfect fight for the new champion, but he showed his resolve and did what was necessary to walk away with a win. 

Give Vazquez credit where it is due, he came in with nothing to lose. He was still trying to build himself back up after the loss last May to Jorge Arce, and managed to hang in there with one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world for 12 rounds. 

There were plenty of stories to come out of Saturday's fight, and here is what we are most excited to see come out of this epic battle. 

NONITO DONAIRE IS ONE OF THE TOP THREE FIGHTERS IN THE WORLD

There seems to be a prevailing theory that Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and Sergio Martinez are the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. You can determine the order of the top two on your own. 

Donaire's performance in the ring and natural ability deserves to be recognized in that little group. No disrespect to Martinez, but his resume doesn't compare to Donaire's. 

The new champion has not lost a fight in 11 years, and has taken on all challengers without belittling anyone in the ring. His accomplishments deserve to be talked about in the same vein as Pacquiao and Mayweather. 

WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR. WILL BE A CHAMPION AGAIN

Despite suffering his second loss in three fights, Vazquez showed all of the things that he does well and why his future is still very bright in this sport.

His climb back up the rankings and the title picture is not going to be an easy one. He needs to work on tweaking his technique, because he was lost at times in this fight.

Give Donaire credit where it is due, but Vazquez was not as sharp as he normally is. He appeared to be fighting not to lose instead of winning. 

JORGE ARCE WOULD DEFEAT THIS NONITO DONAIRE

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, Bob Arum said that the next fight for Donaire, assuming he won this fight with Vazquez, would challenge Jorge Arce for the Super Bantamweight title. 

If this same Donaire shows up for that fight, whenever it happens, he will taste defeat for the first time in over a decade. His speed carried him to a win in this fight, but his power did not shine through and he wasn't as crisp with his strikes as he usually is. 

Arce can match his speed without sacrificing his power or defense. He has the tools needed to knock Donaire around enough to earn a victory. 

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Nonito Donaire is ready to carry the title as best Filipino fighter in the world. His skills will be on full display when he battles the formidable Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

The Philipines most popular fighter, Manny Pacquiao, is nearing the end of his career and it is time Donaire received his just due. Donaire's career has been stellar thus far, as he boasts a record of 28-1 with 18 KOs.

Donaire's opponent is no slouch. Vazquez is 27-1 with 18 KOs to his own credit.

He rebounded from his first defeat at the hands of hard-charging, but weak-punching Jorge Arce. In that fight he lost the WBO Super Bantamweight title. The championship has since been vacated and now he will fight Donaire to regain it.

If he thinks Arce was a difficult draw, he ain't seen nothing yet.

The two almost got into a scuffle in the pre-fight press conference and Vazquez has attempted to gain a mental advantage with trash talk. 

Donaire has vowed to stay focused on his game plan, despite his personal feelings:

I have never been angry as much as I am now but I realize that I need to relax and just follow my game plan.

Vazquez's posturing at the weigh-in said anything but confidence. When young, unproven fighters are as animated as Vazquez was here, it's genuinely to mask a ton of nervousness:

In his fight with Arce, he was gassed by the eighth round, and was clearly bothered by Arce's head-first style. Donaire won't fight Vazquez that way, but he does bring one of the most dangerous combinations of speed and power in to the ring.

Donaire represents the best fighter by far Vazquez will have ever faced, and it will show in the ring. Donaire has KOd quality fighters like Fernando Montiel and TKOd the tough Vic Darchinyan in his career. Vazquez will be next in line for a beating.

With the victory, Donaire will continue to climb into the consciousness of fight fans. As Manny Pacquiao's Hall of Fame career slowly winds down, Donaire is here to carry a now-impressive Filipino fighting tradition.

My pick is Donaire by 6th round KO.

Nonito Donaire’s (27-1-0) stock has been on a very sharp and aggressive rise ever since his demolition of Vic Darchinyan (37-4-1) in 2007. Then, after many great performances, Donaire was able to claim yet another tremendous and unquestionably memorable knockout victory by sending Fernando Montiel (46-4-2) to the canvas in February of 2011.

Donaire, if able to keep his winning streak going, will not only become a superstar and pound-for-pound top boxer, but may with time take Manny Pacquiao’s spot as the best athlete the Philippines ever produced.

His challenger Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. (21-1-1) is also a promising boxer with a very high knockout rate. His only loss came from Jorge Arce (59-6-2) in 2011, the very same fighter that Bob Arum has in sight for Donaire as his next opponent: “If Nonito wins the fight, then his next fight will be against Arce," Arum told Yahoo Sports' The Ring.

Many people expect this to be an all-out war, and it may very well turn out to be just that. Having said that, I really don’t expect Donaire to struggle in this fight. He is way too quick and careful for Vasquez Jr. As a matter of fact, I would not be surprised if Donaire ends the bout before the mid rounds come around.

What I am more interested in, is where Top Rank will take Donaire from here. I think that a re-match against Montiel would be well accepted. While Donaire won their fight convincingly, a little more was expected from Montiel. It’s as if he never warmed up and showed his normal self.

A fight against Arce looks good on paper, but I really don’t see Arce as a good challenger for Donaire. Arce has a heart of a true warrior, but he is also a simple brawler, receiving as much as he dishes out. With Donaire’s footwork and ability to pick shorts, Arce will be peppered with shots for twelve straight rounds. 

The animosity between Nonito Donaire and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. will make for an epic clash on Saturday night in San Antonio, Texas.

The two bantamweights will meet for the vacant WBO super bantamweight title in the Alamodome (10:00 PM ET, HBO), in a card that features Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. looking to keep his record unblemished against fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Rubio.

Never mind the middleweight title fight between Chavez Jr. and Rubio though, because Donaire and Vazquez Jr. will steal the primetime show. 

The two fighters got into at their press conference and have fans excited for what is sure to be a fight filled with fireworks and plenty of quality boxing.

The 29-year-old Filipino, Donaire, is 27-1 in his career with 18 knockouts to his name. His last bout went all 12 rounds. He defeated Argentine Omar Andres Narvaez via unanimous decision.

Donaire has won his last 26 fights however, and is growing popular among boxing fans for his unique and easygoing personality. 

Meanwhile, Vazquez, a 27-year-old Puerto Rican fighter who boasts a 21-1-1 career record, fell to Mexican Jorge Arce in May 2011 via technical knockout to lose the WBO super bantamweight title which he once held, and is fighting for on Saturday night.

All the pieces are now in place for an epic back and forth between two angry featherweight fighters in their primes.

Given the cloud of hatred hanging over the bout, a knockout is possible, but it's likely that every bit of the 12 rounds available will be necessary to decide a new world champion.

With so much animosity between the two, and so much on the line in San Antonio, Donaire vs. Vazquez Jr. will easily take home Fight of the Night honors while stealing the show on HBO.

Fight fans we are in the big state of Texas for the Top Rank Welcome to the Future fight card this weekend!

In the main event we have the undefeated WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (44-0-1, 31 KOs) defending his title against the hard-hitting knockout artist Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46KOs).

As well as the co-main event with the pound-for-pound fast-rising star Nonito Donaire who is moving up to 122 lbs and looking to obtain the vacant WBO super bantamweight title by defeating former WBO super bantamweight champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

Both fights will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing Saturday February 4th at 10:00 p.m. (ET)/7:00 p.m. (PT).

On Thursdays' press conference, Donaire and Vazquez had a heated face-to-face stare down where it even got physical with shoving and yelling mostly instigated and provoked by Vazquez.

Both fighters, including their wives, have taken to Twitter to express their ongoing beef mostly due to disrespect and trash talking coming from the Vazquez team.

Both Mexican champion Chavez Jr. as well as Puerto Rican former champion Vazquez Jr. are sons of fighting legends. Both Chavez Sr. and Vazquez Sr. were present to show their support for their sons fighting on Saturday.

The weigh-in will be on Friday at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET and it will be live streamed via Top Rank TV.

It was initially scheduled to be at the iconic historical landmark the Alamo but due to weather conditions it has been moved to the Alamodome. It is free and open to the public to attend.

KING J will be at the Alamodome ringside where all the action will be taking place so continue to check back to this live blog and make sure to follow him on Twitter for real-time photos/updates as well: @KingJ323

HBO has lined up an exciting night of boxing as a battle between Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire and Wilfredo "Papito" Vazquez Jr. will take place for the vacant WBO Super Bantamweight Championship.

Each boxer has only lost once in their respective careers, so something has to give on Saturday night. Donaire is the WBC and WBO Bantamweight titleholder, but he decided to move up to 122 lbs. in order to take on Vazquez Jr. Papito is a former Super Bantamweight champion, but he dropped the title to Jorge Arce last year.

The 29-year-old Donaire is the clear favorite, as he hasn't lost a fight since dropping his second professional bout way back in 2001. Donaire hasn't really had a close call since his split-decision win over Kahren Harutyunyan in 2006.

Vazquez Jr. has the punching power to shock Donaire, scoring 16 knockouts in 19 career victories, so Donaire will have to be at the top of his game. If he isn't, he is certainly at risk of getting upset.

Where: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

When: Saturday, Feb. 4 at 10:00 p.m. EST

Watch: HBO

Live Streaming: HBO.com

Main Card

Middleweight Championship: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (c) vs. Marco Antonio Rubio

Super Bantamweight Championship: Nonito Donaire (c) vs. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

Donaire's Keys to Victory

In order for Donaire to come out on top, he will simply have to control the pace of the fight. Donaire is considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world thanks to his quickness and incredible hand speed.

Vazquez Jr. is quick in his own right, but as long as Donaire asserts himself early, his talent advantage will be evident.

Nine of Donaire's past 11 fights have ended in The Filipino Flash winning by knockout, so aggressiveness will be key. If the fight lasts into the latter rounds, then Donaire likely has the advantage thanks to his endurance. Vazquez Jr. has sneaky punching power, though, so Donaire would be best served to end the fight as quickly as possible.

Vazquez Jr.'s Keys to Victory

There isn't a ton of mystery when it comes to Vazquez Jr.'s game plan. The vast majority of his victories have come via the knockout, so he will certainly be looking to beat Donaire in that fashion. It obviously won't be easy, as Donaire has never been knocked out in his decade-long career. That isn't going to stop Vazquez Jr. from trying, though.

The more technically sound boxer in this fight is undoubtedly Donaire, so Vazquez Jr. is liable to get picked apart if he tries to go the distance. Vazquez Jr.'s only real chance in this fight is if he finds a way to rattle Donaire and knock him down.

In other words, Vazquez Jr. needs to brawl Donaire, not box him.

What They're Saying

Donaire is a pretty significant favorite to capture the vacant WBO Super Bantamweight title on Saturday, but Vazquez Jr. doesn't think he should be written off. Vazquez Jr. is aiming to take back what he believes to be his title, according to Marc Anthony Reyes of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

"It’s a challenge, no question," Vazquez, who lost the title to Mexican Jorge Arce last year, was quoted as saying. "But it’s also a chance to demonstrate what I’m capable of. Most important is that I get the chance to fight for my title, which belongs to me.

He (Donaire) is a great athlete, but not a superhero like they want him to be. But he’s humble and demonstrated good vibes when we met. He’s earned what he has but anyone can be beat."

 

Prediction

Vazquez Jr. has proven to be a solid fighter, but Donaire is at an entirely different level in terms of talent. He will prove that with a ninth-round knockout of Vazquez Jr.

The ever-frustrating dream fight of Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather received another major setback as Floyd Mayweather announced this morning at his Nevada Boxing Commission hearing that he will fight 154-pound world champion Miguel Cotto on May 5th, 2012 instead of Pacquiao.

Many boxing fans have already grown sick and tired of the ongoing teasing negotiations of a potential Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight never materializing, and one of the solutions to this repetitive disappointment is to simply just move on and look on to the future.

The future you may ask? Yes this Saturday, February 4th, Top Rank promotions is giving fans a good solid fight card billed: Welcome To The Future.

Welcome To The Future has two world-title main event fights, with undefeated WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (44-0-1, 31 KOs) vs. Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46 KOs) as well as the co-main event of pound-for-pound champion Nonito Donaire (27-1, 18 KOs) vs. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (21-1-1, 18 KOs) for the vacant WBO super bantamweight title.

In the co-main event, fast-rising star Nonito Donaire looks to capture another world title at 122 pounds after his knockout of the year victory last year over Fernando Montiel. Donaire's opponent is former WBO 122-pound champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., who is the son of legendary Puerto Rican champion Wilfredo Vazquez Sr.

Vazquez has only one loss on his already-impressive record against Jorge Arce, a fight that many had Vazquez winning until he was stopped in the 12th round.

Should Donaire be victorious Saturday, there are endless big meaningful fight options for him at 122 pounds or 126 pounds, for he is widely regarded as the man to beat from 118 pounds to 126 pounds, even though he has not yet obtained titles at 122 pounds and 126 pounds yet.

Possible big fights with Jorge Arce or Toshiaki Nishioka at 122 pounds, or even Yuriorkis Gamboa or Juan Manuel Lopez at 126 pounds, would indeed validate his fight with Vazquez Saturday as a true welcome to the future.

Then in the main event, Chavez, son of living legend Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. looks to take on his hardest test yet in the heavy-handed Rubio, who shocked many by knocking out and upsetting undefeated prospect David Lemieux on ESPN's Friday Night Fights last year.

Since upsetting Lemieux, Rubio has knocked out all of his next three opponents in the first half of those fights.

Many—including myself—are viewing Rubio as the first true test for the WBC middleweight champion Chavez, who has many even harder tests awaiting him at 160 pounds should he be victorious Saturday, such as the widely regarded true middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.

Welcome To The Future: Chavez vs. Rubio and Donaire vs. Vazquez can be seen live at the Alamodome in San Antonio,Texas this Saturday February 4th or on HBO's World Championship Boxing at 10:00 p.m. (ET)/7:00 p.m. (PT).

According to a press release from the executive producers of HBO:

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^®:  JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. VS.

MARCO ANTONIO RUBIO AND NONITO DONAIRE VS. WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR.

Other HBO playdates:  Feb. 5 (8:30 a.m.) and 6 (12:25 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Feb. 5 (3:30 p.m.) and 7 (12:40 a.m.)

Also prior to all the action is the premiere of “2 Days: Portrait of a Fighter” debuts.  The Feb. 4 installment of this revealing and intimate look at a 48-hour span in the life of a boxer in the lead-up to one of his fights will focus on lightweight Brandon Rios of Oxnard, CA.  The feature is approximately 15 minutes.

We will be live where all the action will take place this weekend in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome, so definitely check back here at the Bleacher Report Boxing Community. for all of your latest boxing news going on in the world.

KING J will be ringside at the Alamodome so be sure to follow him on Twitter: @KingJ323

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KING J is the Bleacher Report Boxing Community Leader and Featured Columnist all information was provided directly to him via press release email from the executive producers of HBO.