Nonito Donaire

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.  

Abner Mares (24-0-1, 13 KO) will defend his WBC super bantamweight belt against Anselmo Moreno (33-1-1, 12 KO) on Showtime this Oct. 13.

Ring Magazine reports that Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions is still finalizing the fight, but it looks like the fight is close.

Mares won his belt after defeating Puerto Rican veteran Eric Morel (45-3, 23 KO) this past April.

Moreno (33-1-1, 12 KO) is a 27-year-old bantamweight boxing phenom. He's reigned four years as the WBA bantamweight world champion, but has fought as a super bantamweight before.

Whoever wins would definitely put themselves head and shoulders above any other potential opponent for division king Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18 KO).

Donaire stepped up to the super bantamweight division this year to earn the WBO belt from Wilfredo Vazquez (21-2-1, 18 KO) and the IBF belt this past July from Jeffrey Mathebula (26-4-2, 14 KO).

Since Mares hopes to face Donaire soon, he must be impressive against Moreno. That's a tough task due to the slickness and defensive skills of Moreno, but it will be an effort well worth the reward.

Mares' only other competition in a battle to land Donaire is Guillermo Rigondeaux (10-0, 8 KO), who has yet to fight any of the elite fighters in his division despite his legendary amateur background.

If Mares can defeat Moreno, the only thing standing in his way of a big event against Donaire is Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KO), who Donaire faces on Oct. 13 on HBO.

Nishioka is currently one of the best fighters of the super bantamweight division and may pull an upset. The Japanese legend may not be as well known in the States as Donaire, but he is a legendary fighter.

Earning the opportunity to face either fighter should be relished as an opportunity to show who's truly the best fighter the division has to offer.

For more sports and entertainment news and analysis, follow me on Twitter @justindavidtate.

Earlier today, Ringtv.com announced that The Ring junior featherweight title will be up for grabs in the October 13 showdown between Nonito Donaire, 29(18)-1 and Toshiaki Nishioka, 39(24)-4(1)-3. 

As the four alphabet soup organizations have seen their prestige decline in recent years, boxing fans have increasingly come to view The Ring belt holder as the world champion of record in a given weight. Under most circumstances, a vacant Ring title can only be filled by a matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked fighters in a weight class.

But under certain conditions, The Ring editorial board will sometimes opt to recognize the winner of a one-and-three matchup as the champ. That is what is happening here. Nishioka is ranked No. 1 at 122, while Donaire is ranked No. 3.

Still, nobody can deny that Donaire is a special case. The Ring has him ranked No. 4 overall, pound-for-pound. While some writers, including myself, feel that is a bit high, by any rational standard his record at 118 and below, along with his continued success since moving to 122, most certainly justify a spot some place in the pound-for-pound Top 10. 

In addition, in the wake of his July unanimous decision victory over Jeffrey Mathebula, he now holds the IBF and WBO straps. Nishioka has been the reigning WBC champ, and the winner of this fight will be recognized by the WBC as the "Diamond" world champ.

I have no idea exactly what a "Diamond" world champion is, but I do know the winner will be recognized as No. 1 in the world by three of the four major sanctioning bodies.

Given Donaire's overall resume, I have to agree with The Ring's decision to make the winner here their champion. 

Meanwhile, No. 2 ranked Guillermo Rigendeaux, 10(8)-0, is left temporarily on the outside looking in. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and current WBA world champion has been a phenomenon since defecting from Cuba and turning professional in 2009, annihilating just about everyone in his path.

I have to believe the winner of Donaire-Nishioka will feel tremendous pressure to take on Rigendeaux next. If Donaire wins, he is a super star solidifying his pound-for-pound status. If Nishioka takes the bout, he will explode into the consciousness of the North American fanbase. 

Rigendeaux will be waiting in the wings, a very highly thought-of and exciting southpaw, holding the final piece of the puzzle for becoming the true, undisputed 122 pound champion. 

It could very well end up being among the most highly anticipated lower weight class bouts of recent years. 

Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18 KO) is officially going to face Japanese legend Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KO) on Oct. 13 after Jorge Arce (60-6-2, 46 KO) dropped out due to various reasons.

Ring Magazine reports that Donaire-Nishioka will be televised on HBO and take place at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Mexican legend Arce was originally set to fill the role Nishioka currently resides in, but requests for more money and a September tune-up have effectively taken him out of the fight.

Donaire will defend the WBO and IBF junior featherweight world titles he won against Wilfredo Vazquez (21-2, 18 KO) and Jeffrey Mathebula (26-4-2, 14 KO) respectively.

After winning world titles in three prior divisions—flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight—Donaire faced Vazquez this past February in his first match at junior featherweight.

Donaire won by split decision, but did not display the type of dominating effort that captured the world's attention when he knocked out Fernando Montiel (48-4-2, 37 KO) with a left hand in Round 2.

In an effort to establish a more impressive performance at junior featherweight, he faced 5'11" Mathebula. The 5'7" Donaire is used to enjoying a height advantage.

Not only did Donaire dominate, he broke Mathebula's jaw in two places in route to an unanimous decision. Donaire and his peers consider Nishioka to be the best in the division.

After defeating Mexican legend Rafael Marquez (40-7, 36 KO) last year, the 36-year-old has been inactive as he awaits a worthy challenger to inspire him to return to the ring.

On the undercard will be undefeated former lightweight champion Brandon Rios (30-0-1, 22 KO), making his junior welterweight debut against Mike Alvarado (33-0, 23 KO) in what will be a slugfest.

Rios and Alvarado come to fight and care nothing for defense. It's safe to predict there will be blood and probably a knockout between the two of them.

Donaire-Nishioka is definitely an upgrade over Donaire-Arce in that it will be seen as a much more competitive and intriguing matchup.

Overall, it's a great looking card and a night to look forward to.

For more Boxing and sports news and analysis, follow me on Twitter @justindavidtate.

It seems as though Nonito Donaire’s fight against his supposed future opponent Jorge Arce might not actually end up happening. Donaire has been steadily gaining popularity in the sport of boxing, and despite being pretty much on top, it has not yet peaked.

When their fight was recently almost announced, many boxing fans had a negative reaction to such a fight, and claimed that while Arce is a great and exciting fighter, it would be an easy fight for Donaire. Guillermo Rigondeaux is the man everyone wants to see Doaire face next, but it doesn’t look like we are likely to see it any time soon.

According to ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Arce might be asking for too much money to face Donaire, which is slowly but surely driving the fight further from actuality, and Toshiaki Nishioka might have to be the replacement:

“I think [Arce's team is] getting cold feet. Top Rank president Todd [duBoef] said they're hemming and hawing and asking for a lot more money now, and that things are changing. I just don't have a good feeling," said Cameron Dunkin, Donaire’s manager.

Donaire is now a big name in boxing, and I am not at all surprised that Arce is asking for more money to fight him. As a matter of fact, they are both well known and respected fighters, but I assume that Donaire is getting paid a much higher fee then Arce, making Jorge fight for more money out of pride 

"Arce came up to me after the fight he had with [Jesus] Rojas. Arce speaks broken English, but you can talk to him, and he said, 'I fight, I fight Nonito.' He said he was definitely fighting him, no problem. He said, 'I fight him, I fight him.' I said, 'Well, let's finally get it done.' Over and over again we've wanted to make this fight, and [the Arce side] says it's the next fight and they never show up," continued Dunkin.

Boxing is as much of a business as business itself. Every promoter is a businessman, and every boxer is part business and part fighter. I think that by playing this game right now, Arce will lose this opportunity and end up fighting someone less important for a lot less money. There is a good pool of fighters for Doanire for pick, and Arce is only one of the many. 

As a matter of fact, the Japanese Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3) would put up a far more exciting and explosive fight against Donaire than Arce would. I have heard of Donaire and Nishioka mentioned before, right after Donaire knocked out Montiel. Right away I thought that it would make or a great fight and it might actually happen if Arce keeps up his negotiation process.  

Nonito Donaire (29-1-0) and Mikey Garcia (28-0-0) not only share a friendship, but also a trainer, Robert Garcia. Both are known to be great fighters, and both try to make the fights worth the while for the fans. In a recent interview with Examiner, Garcia mentioned that he would favor a fight against Donaire if their paths happened to cross sometime in the future. 

“If my brother is working with him, I don’t think my brother would want that fight, being that we are both my brother’s fighters. But if it something were we are talking about, if it’s a fight that people want to see and the promoter wants to put on, my brother would most likely tell Donaire to get another trainer. I don’t think my brother is going to have us fight each other while he is still fighting Donaire,” declared Garcia.

Being a trainer for both, Robert would have to let one of his fighters go with a different trainer if they ever had to fight. Donaire and Robert Garcia are very close, and have been unbelievably successful together. I suppose that for Donaire, having Robert in his corner would be a must, thus fighting Garcia is probably not going to be a part of his career. 

“And if he decides to get another trainer and if he wants the fight and if I’m there still in the division and people want to see the fight, yes, we’ll do the fight. That’s not any problem,” continued Garcia.

Looks to me as though Garcia would really like this fight to happen, for obvious reasons and benefits. Beating Donaire would boost anyone’s career to new heights, and for Mikey, it would be a very clever way to go. Robert knows Donaire inside out, and would be fully capable of explaining Nonito’s drawbacks and problems in the ring to Mikey.

In theory, this would be the case, but would Robert Garcia actually do this? Would he lead Mikey to a victory against his top pupil? I think the answer is no. This is exactly why their fight, despite sounding very intriguing, is unlikely to ever come to fruition.

But suppose it did end up coming together and Robert ended up coaching Mikey through this event, who do you think Donaire would end up asking to be his trainer? And who would you pick to win knowing that Donaire’s head coach is in the opposite corner?  

In a recent interview with Examiner.com, Freddie Roach talks about both Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux and how he is impressed with both fighters for their own abilities and achievements.

“If you throw a lazy punch at him, he’s a great counter-puncher, he’s a solid guy. I think he’s one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world today,” said Roach when asked about his thoughts on Donaire.

It is fairly evident that Donaire is to be considered one of the most dangerous and dominating fighters at this time, and I think that most fighters, trainers and boxing fans recognize this without much debate.

Donaire is solid enough that while there is credible competition out there, there isn’t all that much of it left. One of the fighters that Freddie Roach mentioned Donaire should undeniably fight next is Guillermo Rigondeaux:

“I’d like to see him fight the Cuban to be honest, Rigondeaux. Rigondeaux's one of the best fighters I’ve ever trained technique-wise. He’s very skillful, he’s a great counterpuncher, and I think those two guys together would be a great fight. Working the mitts and stuff, when I’m trying to get shots in and show him his mistakes, seeing the openings and so forth, he’s the only fighter in the world that I’ve never hit once. I’ve never caught him. One time I was going to go to the body after a right hand and he stuck his elbow in there and bruised my arm for a month. I’ve never got to him in like six months of training,” declared Roach."

I have seen Rigondeaux fight, and I must admit, despite the fact that he does not have a well-compiled resume, he was more than impressive. I have no problem believing what Roach said about Rigo, and am also one of the people hoping that Donaire will pick him sooner rather than later.

I cannot say that I would expect Rigo to win the fight, but I would not put that outcome on the sidelines. Donaire likes to sometimes play with his competition and experiment during the fight. With Rigo, this should not be an option, and Donaire would have to put in hard work from bell to bell.

Of course, there are other options for Donaire, such as Abner Mares, and even his supposed confirmed foe, Jorge Arce, is not that bad of a choice. Still, for Donaire, there is but one fan approved option right now, Guillermo Rigondeaux.

Nonito Donaire’s stock has skyrocketed after his impressive fifth round TKO of Vic Darchinyan in 2007, but it reached all new heights after the stunning second-round TKO of Fernando Montiel in February of 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Despite the fact that he has gained an army of fans and his popularity in the sport of boxing is through the roof, Nonito’s recent resume is far from impressive. Between the Darchinyan and the Montiel fights, Doanire’s competition has been less than impressive, and his three performances since the Montiel fight have been barely entertaining for the fans that expected much more. Many people wonder why there is such a roller coaster in his ring performances?

According to a recent interview that thaboxingvoice.com held with Donaire, Nonito attributes his lackluster fights to experimentation:

I’ve kind of been experimenting with power and with counter punching a lot and just trying to do something different that I could bring to the table with the much tougher guys. The last three fights [the opponents] weren’t dangerous for me, with a better fighter I’ll be a lot smarter; [it was a fight] you can kind of experiment with and I took the chance to learn from it so now I’m a more [well-rounded] fighter. So when I do fight with someone on top like Mares or Rigondeaux, I’m definitely going to be the [kind of fighter] you’ve always seen. My performance suffered because of the [experimenting] but when I do fight someone who I feel is going to give me a hard time all that knowledge will come in handy.

This is either an excuse or the truth coming from a very brave and, at the same time, naive young champion. Taking chances in losing his title and credibility just for the sake of experimentation is simply unintelligent. If he was curious, a few sessions with his sparring partners could surely feed that curiosity.

Donaire claims that his recent opposition was not at all that dangerous to him, yet he took the time and the vigorous preparation routine to make sure he is absolutely ready for anything that comes his way. And he did, and it did.

While Donaire is a tremendously skilled fighter, his competition is what could be the jagged rock under his feet. If he was able to experiment knowing there is no risk in it, then he was clearly not challenged, and that in itself limits what we know about Donaire as a world class fighter.

When asked about fighting Rigondeaux, the man most boxing fans want to see Donaire face, Nonito said the following:

I would love to make the fight with Rigondeaux; I’ve never had problems with southpaws. He has a lot of amateur experience but there’s only a handful that make it, he apparently made it. I’d rather face Mares, he’s a true fighter. I told Cameron Dunkin, I want to take all the belts, and I want to beat the guys before I move up, I don’t know how high I can raise my body to gain weight. I’m hoping we can get this fight with Rigondeaux, it’s a good fight. I’ve wanted this fight to happen [in place of the last fight], but I presented the names that I wanted to fight but none of those guys came out.

Are we seeing in Donaire the very same curse that has been plaguing Pacquiao? Does he have absolutely no say in what fighter he faces next?

When the people make it clear whom they want Donaire to fight next, and when the public practically demands it, the team should take that into consideration and do all it takes to make that bout a reality. A fight with Rigondeaux would most certainly be a money fight and would undoubtedly provide both fighters with a change to solidify their name in the current boxing state of affairs. 

Tossing Nonito back and forth between suboptimal opposition will not only give him and the fans a false sense of his true abilities, but will mask and prevent his true potential from coming to light. Either Rigondeaux or Mares, doesn’t matter which one, Donaire must not waste time with the little fish and has to take the chance and fight the fights that add to his resume, and potentially, his HOF legacy.

Nonito Donaire has now been in the headlines for a long time. For a while he has been climbing the victor ladder, and now he has reached a point where he is a world class champion. After his recent win against Jeffrey Mathebula, people are wondering who Donaire will fight next.

Donaire’s résumé is a little bit choppy, with questionable opposition in-between his blockbuster performances. Now, two names are orbiting Donaire as possible future competition: Jorge Arce and Guillermo Rigondeaux. Of the two, according to recent statements by Bob Arum (via BoxingScene), Donaire vs. Arce is 90 percent done.

Interestingly enough, according to a recent poll by RingTV asking fans who Donaire should fight next—of over 8,000 votes—Rigondeaux claimed 37.5 percent, while Abner Mares received 30.1 percent of the votes. Toshiaki Nishioka claimed 17.6 percent of the votes, and lastly Jorge Arce pulled only 12.1 percent of the total votes.

Seems to me that most people either don’t want or care to see Donaire face Arce anytime soon.

When people compare Donaire to his countryman Pacquiao, Rigondeaux get argumentative.

"Manny fought the best fighters around when he was moving up through weight classes, but this phony Donaire is disappointing fans all over the world, especially Filipino people, by running scared from the best fighter at 122 pounds," stated a frustrated Rigondeaux in an interview with FightHype.

"Donaire is running scared of any super bantamweights with power. He hasn't knocked out anybody at 122 pounds. One thing is for sure, though, he will get knocked out if he has the guts to fight me," continued Rigondeaux.

It’s never easy to say when a fighter is truly running away from a challenge or is being forced into a more financially beneficial fight. Top Rank is known for making fights that primarily bring in the most money, and everything else is a distant second.

While I agree that lately Donaire has not been fighting the top available competition, somehow I have trouble believing that he is afraid of Rigondeaux.

As a matter of fact, Donaire had his own statement to make about Rigo: “I think in the pro level, he’s very inexperienced. He’s never fought a guy like Fernando Montiel or Vic Darchinyan,” proclaimed Donaire in a interview with RingTV.

Both fighters share similar opinions of each other, they just have a different way of speaking their thoughts. Despite the fact that most people want Donaire to face Rigondeaux next, I believe that Nonito against Jorge would be a much more exciting fight. 

Boxing judge Deon Dwarte of South Africa did something unexpected Saturday night when media learned he only gave his compatriot one round credit during the unification fight between Nonito Donaire of the Philippines and Jeffrey Mathebula of South Africa.

Dwarte scored the fight 119-108. American judge Steve Morrow scored it 118-109 while fellow American judge Jonathan Davis had it 117-110

Days before the unification fight, critics say Donaire must score a knockout or a really convincing victory, knowing one of the judges is from South Africa. They were wary of a possible biased judging because of Dwarte's track record in fights where South African fighters were involved.

According to Philippine Daily Inquirer, as soon as the name of the judges were leaked, protests were made on the Internet about the inclusion of a South African judge. But Team Donaire prevailed upon concerned fans by assuring them there will be no repeat of the controversial Pacquiao-Bradley fight officiating.

“You can’t do anything about that anymore,” Cameron Dunkin, Donaire’s manager, told the Inquirer. “California has been doing a great job. Changing officials, if ever they do it, would be too much of a concern for Nonito and that’s the last thing I want to happen.”

“There are two neutral judges, we’ll be fine,” said Dunkin. “There’s only so much a judge can do. And we are counting on our fighter to win the fight anyway.”

In his regular column at Philstar.com, veteran sportswriter Quinito Henson reported Dwarte has a reputation for biased decisions, citing previous fights of South African boxers including Ali Funeka vs.Nate Campbell and Jeffrey Mathebula vs. Celestino Caballero where Dwarte was criticized for his alleged biased decisions. 

But the two bouts cited were close fights unlike the reportedly flawed scoring made by the judges in the recent Pacquiao-Bradley fight which had been widely criticized by the public.

Al S. Mendoza of Sunstar Cebu said, "Dwarte’s scoring was a stunner, not only because it photocopied my verdict of 119-108."

"If all judges in the world are like Dwarte, boxing is here to stay," he added.

Despite his reportedly biased judging involving compatriots, Dwarte made sure he won't be at the receiving end of harsh criticisms for favoring another compatriot. 

Critics say Dwarte's scorecard favoring Donaire by a wide margin despite his reported bias favoring South African fighters, speaks well of his integrity as a judge. 

Some boxing analysts and media personalities who watched the fight at Home Depot Center and on video say their scores were closest, if not the same, with Dwarte's score.

With Dwarte's popular verdict on the recent Donaire-Mathebula fight, some boxing fans say the South African judge should be considered as one of the three judges in the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch—if indeed there will be a rematch.