Flyweight

Nonito Donaire just might win fighter of the year honors if he can score a dominant victory over Jorge Arce when the two meet on HBO in Houston next month.

A win over Arce would be a great way to cap off what has been a stellar year for the 30-year-old Filipino-American fighter known as the Filipino-Flash.  

The fight against Arce will be the fourth of the year for Donaire, which is something that just doesn't happen anymore in the sport.

Most of the elite fighters on the mythical pound-for-pound list only fight once or maybe twice a year, so for Donaire to fight four times in the same year is pretty remarkable. 

It's not as though he has been fighting bums either. So far in 2012, Donaire has faced and defeated three former or current world champions. 

First up was Puerto Rico's Wilfredo Vasquez Jr., who sported a record of 21-1-1 with 18 knockouts coming in to the fight with Donaire. The fight went the full 12 rounds for the vacant WBO 122-pound title, and while the judges had it a split decision, in reality it wasn't even close.

Although it wasn't as exciting as Donaire's devastating knockout of Fernando Montiel the previous year, it was still an impressive win over the former WBO super bantamweight titleholder. 

Next up for the slick Bay Area fighter was IBF super bantamweight titleholder Jeffery Mathebula, who posed a big challenge for the 5'5" fighter.

Mathebula, at nearly 6'0", is freakishly tall for the weight division, but in the end it wouldn't make any difference as Doniare would go on to dominate his much taller foe, knocking him down in the fourth round and breaking his jaw on the way to a unanimous 12-round decision win. 

Then just last month on Oct. 13, Donaire was back in action against Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka, who was considered coming in to the fight the best super bantamweight in the world.

The fight was initially pretty boring as the rightful WBC 122-pound champion Nishioka was very wary of the power-punching Donaire and seemed more worried about his defense than initiating any offense of his own.  

The fight picked up in Round 6 when Doniare dropped Nishioka for the first time in the fight. After tasting the canvas, the Japanese fighter seemed to come alive and actually started fighting back, but he was no match for Donaire.

The fight would come to an end in Round 9 when Nishioka once again was put on the canvas.  He would beat the count, but referee Raul Caiz Sr. would stop the fight seconds later following another brutal combination of punches from Donaire. 

In Arce, Donaire will be facing a 17-year veteran of the sport with 70 fights under his belt. Arce has held titles in four weight divisions and is one of the most exciting fighters in all of boxing.

If Donaire can add a win over Arce to his 2012 resume, I think he will be a lock for fighter of the year honors. 

Brian Viloria claimed the WBA flyweight title on Saturday night in Los Angeles as he beat Hernan “Tyson” Marquez via TKO in the 10th round.

Viloria controlled almost the entire fight, knocking Marquez down and forcing him to fight at his pace. He used a flurry of combinations to end the fight in the 10th round and claim the WBA title.

Saturday night's win adds to Viloria's WBO title, unifying the flyweight belts. 

This flyweight showdown featured two of the top fighters in the weight class, but Viloria—nicknamed the Hawaiian Punch—was too much for Marquez. 

The 24-year-old Mexican is one of the most talented and successful flyweight fighters, and that allowed him to climb to the top of Ring TV’s rankings for the division.

Marquez’s inability to take down Viloria drops his record to 34-3-0, with 25 of his victories coming via knockout.

Despite Marquez’s spot atop many pundit’s rankings, this was not that large of an upset, as Ring TV pegged Viloria as the No. 2 flyweight fighter. He has now given the boxing outlet a clear reason to readjust its view of this division.

The 31-year-old Hawaii native is now 32-3-0 throughout his career, and this will go down as a signature victory. Viloria has extended his winning streak to six while stopping Marquez’s at seven. 

This was a treat for boxing fans, as it is a rare occurrence that two stars take each other on. Viloria and Marquez are the two best flyweights around and are both near the peaks of their respective careers.

Boxing as a sport has been criticized in the past for not being able to put the best talent in the ring together, but there can be no ill feeling from fans after this matchup. A fantastic matchup led to an entertaining fight, and Viloria’s victory will be one of the most memorable moments of his career. 

Somewhat buried beneath the ring returns of Adrien Broner and Carl Froch this coming Saturday is an excellent and crucial flyweight unification fight between Brian Viloria and Hernan “Tyson” Marquez.

Viloria (31-3, 18 KO), the reigning WBO flyweight champion and 2000 U.S. Olympian, and WBA boss Marquez (34-2, 25 KO) will headline a card from the Sports Arena in Los Angeles that will importantly showcase a series of compelling fights in some of boxing’s smaller weight classes.

Boxing’s more minuscule fighters are often literally relegated to the shadows of their larger brethren, but Viloria-Marquez—a fight with pound-for-pound implications—is impossible to ignore.

On a Saturday where Adrien Broner (24-0, 20 KO) challenges WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco and Carl Froch (29-2, 21 KO) defends his IBF super middleweight title against Yusaf Mack, Viloria-Marquez could very well be the weekend’s most competitive and interesting fight.

What is especially intriguing about Viloria-Marquez is that both fighters are essentially evenly matched in terms of class and skills, and they carry impressive and explosive power—Marquez especially—for the flyweight division. Furthermore, both men enter their unification clash riding positive momentum.

After an outstanding amateur career that included winning gold at the 1999 World Amateur Championships in Houston, Viloria had two brief title reigns at light flyweight in what had, until 2009, amounted to a career defined by flashes of immense potential that had largely remained unfulfilled.

Given his amateur pedigree and rapid ascent through the professional ranks—Viloria won the WBC Youth flyweight title in only his eighth fight and the regional NABF title in his 10th—a long championship reign was expected.

The first of Viloria’s title reigns began when he captured the WBC 108-pound title by stretching Eric Ortiz in a single round. Viloria followed this victory with a unanimous decision title-retaining effort against Jose Antonio Aguirre before running into Omar Nino Romero.

Viloria’s unanimous decision loss to Romero (31-5-2, 13 KO) was the first setback in what ended up being a three-fight winless streak.

In the second bout of this tumultuous stretch, Viloria would have had to settle for a majority draw against Romero in their immediate rematch had the bout not been changed to a “no decision” due to Romero failing a post-fight drug test. Then, in his next fight, Viloria lost a majority decision to Edgar Sosa in a bid for the vacant WBC light flyweight title.

Having gone winless in three consecutive title fights, Viloria’s promising career had sputtered into obscurity—to a certain degree—given how difficult it is for fighters in boxing’s lower weight classes to garner appropriate recognition and exposure.

In 2009, however, Viloria appeared to rebound when he scored an excellent 11th-round knockout over Ulises Solis to capture the IBF light flyweight title. One defense would follow before Viloria lost his title via surprising 12th-round TKO to the underwhelming Carlos Tamara in what amounted to another abrupt end to a seemingly promising title reign.

Despite this inconsistency, Viloria is riding a five-fight winning streak and has emphatically hit his stride as an elite-level prizefighter. Viloria had tested out a move to flyweight between his first and second title reigns, and his recent, permanent jump to 112 pounds has certainly been a factor in his renewed success.

Viloria became a two-division champion with a 2011 decision win over Julio Cesar Miranda, and his two subsequent defenses over Giovani Segura (TKO 8) and old nemesis Romero (TKO 9) were outstanding.

Segura (28-2-1, 24 KO), who had twice decimated all-time great strawweight champion Ivan Calderon, was an especially impressive victory for Viloria. It showed he was able to cope with a strong aggressive puncher and return fire with his own power. Also, his revenge win over Romero suggests that Viloria might have worked through the inconsistency that plagued him earlier in his career.

As for Marquez, since a 2010 TKO loss to Nonito Donaire in a bid for the “interim” WBA 115-pound title, he is 7(5)-0. In only his third fight after losing to Donaire (30-1, 19 KO), Marquez stopped Luis Concepcion in 11 rounds in a bout that featured four knockdowns (Marquez was down once, Concepcion three times).

After scoring a third-round TKO over Edrin Dapudong in his first defense, Marquez again dropped Concepcion (26-3, 20 KO) three times in their rematch, scoring a first-round stoppage in what amounted to a highly impressive title-retaining effort. Marquez has since tested himself against 115-pound fighters in his past two bouts and enters his unification fight with Viloria having settled for consecutive decisions.

That said, both Marquez and Viloria are enjoying dominant stretches at flyweight, and this clash of momentum is one of the fight’s major selling points. If Viloria is the classier boxer, the 24-year-old Marquez’s aggressive style, power punching and southpaw stance render this bout even.

One genuinely remarkable aspect about following Viloria’s career is the resilience he has displayed in rebounding from disappointing setbacks. While Marquez might be more powerful, Viloria, at 31, seems to have finally “gotten it” as a professional, and the fact that his current title reign has included more than one successful defense for the first time will undoubtedly bolster his confidence.

But what about Viloria-Marquez as it relates to Froch and Broner?

Now, it is obvious and undeniable that both Froch and Broner are bigger mainstream attractions than Viloria or Marquez will ever be, regardless of what transpires this Saturday.

That said, in terms of the fight’s potential and the quality of both participants, Viloria-Marquez easily surpasses Froch-Mack and holds a slight edge over Broner-DeMarco despite Broner’s steady path toward superstardom and DeMarco’s undeniable quality.

Since his participation in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, Froch has faced a murderers’ row of elite opponents, besting the likes of Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson. Even leading up to the Super Six, Froch had scored consecutive excellent world title victories over Jean Pascal and Jermain Taylor.

Froch’s only losses during this remarkable stretch were a debatable points defeat to Mikkel Kessler in an excellent fight and a clear decision loss to pound-for-pound stalwart Andre Ward in the finals of the Super Six.

Without intending any disrespect to Yusaf Mack (31-4-2, 17 KO), he simply doesn’t measure up as the kind of quality opponent fans and pundits have become accustomed to Froch fighting (and often beating). Current IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud stopped Mack in his only previous bid for a world title. While Mack is no pushover, Froch should score a relatively easy win.

Coming off of a thrilling stoppage win over Lucian Bute in a mild upset, Froch is contractually obligated to travel to Montreal for a rematch with Bute (31-1, 24 KO) after he fights Mack. Given how Bute struggled to defeat Denis Grachev in his comeback fight, the prospect of Froch-Bute II has lost some luster.

So, as great as Froch is, the present and immediate future for him aren’t as exciting as what Viloria and Marquez can offer fight fans. While Viloria-Marquez is a superior matchup to Froch-Mack, the future implications for both flyweight champions are also more intriguing.

Fighting on the undercard of Viloria-Marquez is Nicaraguan banger Roman Gonzalez, a fighter who arguably packs the hardest punch in boxing’s smaller weight classes. In his chief-supporting bout, Gonzalez (33-0, 28 KO) will defend his WBA light flyweight belt against Juan Francisco Estrada.

Already a two-division title-holder, Gonzalez could be looking to parlay a victory over Estrada (22-1, 18 KO) into a shot at the winner of Viloria-Marquez.

Gonzalez has a ridiculous knockout percentage for someone who held a strawweight title, and he is 9-0 in championship fights with six wins coming inside the distance. Should Gonzalez move up to flyweight, a fight against the Viloria-Marquez winner would carry serious pound-for-pound ramifications.

The case of Broner and DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KO) is more nuanced given that it also has the potential to be an exciting and highly competitive fight. After losing to the late Edwin Valero in 2010, DeMarco upset Jorge Linares to win the WBC lightweight title. Recently, DeMarco obliterated John Molina in one round, and he is currently riding a three-fight stoppage streak with each impressive victory having come in a title fight.

As good and exciting as DeMarco is, Broner is expected to beat him. One of boxing’s most interesting cases, the brash, hair-brushing Broner has been anointed as one of the sport’s future (or current, depending on one’s view) superstars without having accomplished much at the championship level.

There are, of course, reasons for this. Dynamic personality aside, Broner appears to be one of boxing’s most naturally-gifted fighters. Blessed with incredible speed, power and reflexes, it is reasonable to suspect that Broner, at 23, simply needs the time and fights to truly establish himself and enhance his resume.

At the same time, Broner has only contested two actual world title fights (he was overweight for what would have been his third against Vicente Escobedo). While neither Viloria nor Marquez have had truly long title reigns, they are more established championship-level fighters and will be unifying titles.

Whether Broner or DeMarco wins, it is reasonable to suspect that a unification clash against lightweight champions Ricky Burns (WBO) or Miguel Vazquez (IBF) is a possibility (Broner and Burns, especially, appears likely). While any combination of the above names would make a compelling fight, the likely Viloria-Marquez fallout can at least match it.

The aforementioned Gonzalez would be a major opponent for either Viloria or Marquez, as would Toshiyuki Igarashi, the current Ring and WBC flyweight champion. Whether the Viloria-Marquez winner makes a WBA/WBO defense against Gonzalez or further unifies titles against Igarashi (17-1-1, 10 KO), they should find themselves in another major fight right away.

Ultimately, this upcoming weekend should be another great one for boxing. All three fights discussed are worthy of attention, but don’t sleep on the little guys. Viloria and Marquez can bang, and whoever triumphs will have made an emphatic statement.

Abner Mares has been a popular choice as the next possible opponent of Nonito Donaire after Jorge Arce because of his unblemished record and his domination of  the bantamweight division in recent years.

But after his not-so-impressive performance over veteran Anselmo Moreno of Panama at the Staples Center Saturday night, boxing fans are doubting his ability to withstand Donaire's  awesome power and speed. 

Mares gave all his best to knock out Moreno during the 12-round encounter at the well-attended boxing event. But he looked worn out and frustrated in the later rounds as he chased the hit-and-run fighter from Panama. Mares even looked almost like an amateur, throwing awkward punches which did not land on targets.

Although he scored a knockdown over Moreno in the fifth round, his overall performance leaves much to be desired. 

Donaire is definitely more skillful than Mares, especially if his last fight against Moreno will be used as a basis in considering him as a worthy opponent of Donaire.

Mares told Boxing Scene after the fight he wants to face Donaire and hopes their promoters can work together to make the fight happen, saying, “I want to fight Nonito Donaire. That’s the only guy to fight. We want to fight the best. We want to continue to step up and fight the best. I think its up to Nonito’s promoters.”

Ronnie Nathanielsz of Philboxing writes, "Therein lies the problem because Mares is handled by Golden Boy Promotions and Donaire by Bob Arum’s Top Rank and their differences run deep". 

Despite the win by Mares against Moreno, fight fans would probably favor a Guillermo Rigondeaux-Nonito Donaire fight after the "Filipino Flash" is done with Arce in December.

Rigondeaux, who had an impressive amateur record, is unbeaten in his 11 professional fights, eight of which were won via KO.

The former Cuban Olympic gold medalist in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic games, is facing  Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym of Thailand on Dec. 15. The Thai fighter is a veteran of 44 fights with two loses.

Mares needs to polish his skill and style against a tough fighter in the bantamweight division to have a fighting chance with Donaire, who will be available after the Rigondeaux fight (if it happens) early next year.

Another top opponent and another victory for Omar Narvaez as he stopped Johnny Garcia in the 11th round to defend his WBO flyweight title.

Narvaez has won 22 of his last 23 fights with his only loss coming from Nonito Donaire last October.

Nonito has been just as dominant in his own weight class during his career. In fact, The Filipino Flash hasn't lost a bout since 2001. His last match with Japanese star Toshiaki Nishioka further proved his superior ability after winning by TKO in the ninth round.

The Hurricane has beaten anyone and everyone in his division, making it clear that he will likely see the same result from his next challenger. The only thing that's left is for Narvaez to avenge his loss to Donaire, no matter how difficult a challenge that might be.

The first bout between these two didn't go so well. Donaire was clearly the aggressor in the 2011 fight and Narvaez was only interested in running for his life for the majority of the fight. It was a disappointing finish to a matchup that many thought would be exciting.

It was anything but that.

Narvaez might be able to regain some respect if he would just stand toe to toe with Donaire. That might result in Narvaez getting knocked out, but at least boxing fans would give him an "E" for effort this time.

And if he were to win, it would easily be the biggest and most important win of Narvaez's career. Being that he's a heavy underdog in any such matchup, a victory would staple The Hurricane as one of the sport's best pound-for-pound boxers.

In order for this fight to happen, Narvaez and Donaire would have to meet at bantamweight. That still remains a huge advantage for The Filipino Flash.

Beyond Donaire, Narvaez doesn't have much else. The Hurricane would be wise taking a fight worthwhile and anything but fighting The Filipino Flash once again would be as close to a waste of time as you can get.

Four-division world champion Nonito Donaire is set to face Jorge Arce in Mexico City on December 15, according to breaking news report by the Philboxing.com website.

"The highly anticipated showdown between 4-division champion Nonito Donaire Jr and Mexican star Jorge Arce is a go in Mexico City on Dec. 15, 2012. The deal will be finalized by Top Rank President Bob Arum on Monday," Philboxing.com wrote.

Donaire will be returning to the ring for a fourth  time this year since winning over Wilfredo Vasquez in February while Arce will be fighting for a third time this year after getting a no-contest decision for an accidental foul over Jesus Rojas in June.

Donaire, who knocked down Tosiaki Nishioka a week ago at the Home Depot Center in Carson, is the reigning WBO, The Ring and WBC Super Bantamweight Champion. Arce is the reigning WBO Bantamweight Champion.

After Donaire's victory over Nishioka a few days ago, Arce said (via ABS-CBN News) he is not impressed with Donaire's credentials.

"I'm not impressed. He is not the monster they believe he is. What happens is that [the opponents] have too much respect, they pull punches, start to survive and allow him to come on," the Mexican was quoted as saying.

For his part, Donaire said, "If he tells himself that he’s not impressed, that’s big mistake. It’s always different inside the ring."

Donaire's promoter Bob Arum has yet to announce if the December 15th fight will be Donaire's pay-per-view (PPV) debut.

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

The 33-year-old Jorge Arce, who hails from Sinaloa, Mexico, 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. At 5'7" with a reach of 63 inches, he stands three inches higher than Arce.

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.

Nonito Donaire, fresh off his impressive victory Saturday night, is looking at a December return to the ring against WBO bantamweight champion Jorge Arce. 

Arce (60-6-2 46 KO 1 NC), who has won multiple world titles in multiple weight divisions, is an exciting, all-action fighter who will make for an explosive contest with Donaire.

Donaire defeated Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan by ninth round stoppage, in a fight that was lackluster, largely due to the challenger's unwillingness to mount any offensive attack.

The fight with Arce is contingent on an injury to Donaire's hand, sustained in his fight with Nishioka, not being severe enough to force him to miss time.

"If the left hand is okay, then I will try to have him fight again before the end of the year, in Mexico, at that new arena in Mexico City - against Arce," Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told Rick Reeno of Boxingscene.com.

The news will come as a disappointment to many boxing fans, who hoped to see Donaire return to the ring against fellow super-bantamweight champion Abner Mares.

Mares defends his title against a stiff challenge from Anselmo Moreno, the reigning bantamweight champion, who is moving up in weight for the fight.

But unfortunately for fight fans, Mares is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, the oil to Arum's water. The two companies rarely, if ever do business with one another, and recently the war of words between the outfits has escalated.

Arum has discussed holding the bout in the new arena in Mexico City and the Dec. 15 HBO date, which was originally supposed to feature Timothy Bradley, could be where it lands. 

Bradley told his local newspaper The Desert Sun last week that he was considering skipping the date and instead focus on landing a big fight in 2013.

That would leave a void in Top Rank and HBO's calendar, which this fight could fill.

The fight between pound-for-pound stalwart Nonito Donaire and Japanese challenger Toshiaki Nishioka figured to be an elite, championship-level chess match.

Nishioka (39-5-3, 24 KO), who vacated his WBC super bantamweight title for the opportunity to fight Donaire (30-1, 19 KO), came into the bout riding a 16-fight unbeaten streak, including eight consecutive wins in title fights (with one victory in an interim title bout).

According to ESPN's Dan Rafael, Donaire vacated his IBF strap before the fight, meaning that only the WBO title was at stake for both fighters (Japan does not recognize the IBF). Still, given the credentials of both Donaire and Nishioka, unanimous pound-for-pound recognition and The Ring title were the major chips at stake in this fight.

The fight's first three rounds were certainly cagey, and Nishioka (especially) seemed overly cautious. Donaire, though he wasn't landing telling shots, easily swept the first three stanzas due to his sustained punch output.

Maddeningly concerned about Donaire's left hook, Nishioka, a southpaw, kept his lead right hand ridiculously high in anticipation of the blow. Nishioka often resorted to throwing single shots, and with Donaire getting outside position for his lead foot, Nishioka was unable to establish leverage for his straight left hand.

Donaire started to create an obvious advantage when he focused on throwing his straight right hand. This established openings for combinations, even if he wasn't able to hurt Nishioka through the first third of the fight.

Surprisingly, Nishioka seemed tight, and through five rounds, his highest punch output for a single stanza had been 21 punches. Nearing the halfway mark, it seemed that Nishioka was already in survival mode.

In Round 6, both fighters started to open up, and Nishioka, for the first time, began to put some combinations together. This newfound aggression, however, landed Nishioka on the canvas as Donaire connected with a sneaky left uppercut that split the Japanese fighter's high guard. Both fighters exchanged until the bell with Donaire getting the better of the action.

Round 7 proved uneventful other than a clash of heads, but the second half of the eighth stanza had solid action with Donaire punching in combinations and Nishioka loading up on his left hand, hoping to land a knockout punch.

Given the dearth of overall action, Round 9 ended up being unexpectedly decisive. After pushing Donaire to the canvas, Nishioka backed him up to the ropes and seemed to be gaining confidence as he threw a series of jabs and straight left hands. However, as Nishioka threw a telegraphed jab, Donaire landed a perfect counter right hand that floored his opponent.

Nishioka beat the count, but after eating one left uppercut, his corner elected to throw in the towel. While the stoppage seemed premature, it was a somewhat merciful end to what ultimately amounted to a plodding fight.

Donaire did show his class in adapting his game plan to what Nishioka gave him, and he held Nishioka to only 49 connected punches during the entire fight. As for his next move, everyone wants to see Donaire fight Abner Mares. However, due to the Top Rank-Golden Boy feud, that fight is sadly unlikely to materialize soon.

Another intriguing option includes Guillermo Rigondeaux, though Donaire told Max Kellerman in a post-fight interview that he believes the Cuban champion needs more notable victories to make such a bout viable. Donaire could choose to move up in weight, but regardless of what he decides to do, he unquestionably proved that he is one of the best fighters in the world.

As for Nishioka, at 36 and now title-less, his next move seems murky, and after his performance on HBO, it seems unlikely that a major American network will be clamoring to have him back. 

Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. (29-1, 18 KO) may be the favorite in his bout with Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KO), but the Japanese boxer can't be underestimated in this fight.

Flash, no doubt, has an advantage in many aspects of this matchup.

First of all, Flash is the younger of the two fighters at age 29 and is in the middle of his physical prime. On the other hand, Nishioka is in the twilight years of his career at the tender age of 36 years old.

That fact alone could give Donaire Jr. the advantage in the energy department as the fight gets into the later rounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=326shfnpm-0

Conditioning could also be a factor that hinders Nishioka's chances in this fight.

The 36-year-old hasn't been in a ring in a little over a year after an impressive victory over Rafael Marquez. Meanwhile, Flash has fought two bouts this year with his last coming back in July with a unamimous decision win over Jeffrey Mathebula.

Flash also figures to have the edge in both the power and overall skill categories.

Despite all that, Nishioka comes into this fight having won 13 of his last 14 fights and where he lacks in other important categories; he does have the edge in experience with almost double the amount of fights that Donaire Jr. has taken part in.

Not to mention, Nishioka is no stranger to long bouts, so an anticipated 12-round bout with Donaire Jr. is nothing the Japanese boxer can't handle. Nishioka is a gritty battler, so don't expect him to mail it in during this fight. If Flash wants to end this bout before a decision, Nishioka will make him earn it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=326shfnpm-0

But, you can be rest assured that Nishioka will not punch himself out of this fight, and instead, he will be the clever fighter he has always been and wait for the more aggressive Donaire Jr. to tire himself out. It just remains to be seen if Nishioka can ward off his opponent long enough to make that happen.

Nishioka doesn't lack power either, as proven by his 24 career knockouts.

On paper, everything favors Flash, but Nishioka's experience and intelligence in the ring will make him a very formidable opponent who can't be brushed aside by any means.