It was all respect with a lovely chocolate cake on
the side in downtown Los Angeles last week when IBF/WBO super bantamweight
champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire met with Toshiaki Nishioka to
announce their October 13 showdown at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. On
the undercard is a potentially all-time classic junior welterweight clash
between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado, two hardnosed, take-no-prisoners
fighters.
“As fighters, we know what we go through. We put our
bodies and lives on the line being in that ring. That is why I respect fighters
unless they don’t respect me,” Donaire told Maxboxing.com. “But you get a guy
like Nishioka, he’s been dominating this division, to have him respect me the way
he does, I have to respect him.”
While Toshiaki doesn’t bring his WBC super
bantamweight belt to the unification party, the WBC has offered its vacant “Diamond”
belt, a fact that had even Top Rank CEO Bob Arum confused at the podium. But it
doesn’t matter; belts don’t matter to anyone but the fighters in this
situation. Why? Because it’s a fight with potential for greatness.
“What Nishioka has done in this division, he has
been number one in this division and that is why I chose and dreamed of this
fight,” Donaire told the assembled media. “Because Nishioka, not only do I have
great respect for a fighter like him, who has been number one in this weight
class for so long and leading the way, on October 13, I will do my best to show
I am better. May the best man win. He will come and give his best. I will come
in and give my best. And hopefully, Japan and the world will enjoy this fight.”
It’s rare that fights like this - especially ones hardcore
fans have clamored for - actually happen. Both men realize how special it is to
have two promoters risk their high-quality fighters like this.
“There are no words that can describe how grand this
fight is,” Donaire said. “This is the best of the best. And I thank Nishioka
for taking this fight. This fight is where my dreams can come true. Or I can
still be waiting. I have always dreamt of being undisputed [and] with the WBC ‘Diamond’
belt, that dream can be realized. Nishioka’s dream can be realized. So this is
an all-out war between Nishioka and myself and we will definitely give our best
because that is all that we can do with the respect we have for each other.”
“I have been winning at super bantamweight for a
long time now,” said Nishioka. “Donaire has been winning and has proved himself
to be a great fighter and he currently has two belts in the super bantamweight
division. I believe this will probably be the best fight at the 122-pound weight
division. I would like the both of us to be in the best of condition and put on
the best fight possible. I plan on it.”
Nishioka is a southpaw technician natural to the
weight class with a record of 39-4-3 with 24 knockouts. He hasn’t lost since
2004 and that was by decision. Last October, he won a decision over Rafael
Marquez but has not fought since. If there is a strike against him, that rust might
be the place to look. The 36-year-old Nishioka disagrees, citing the fact that
he went right back into training soon after that win with the hopes of landing
a Donaire bout.
Donaire has gone the distance in his last three
fights while taking criticism and praise in equal measure. Some say he needs to
be more exciting. Some argue he is just fine and the “number three” on mythical
pound-for-pound lists is appropriate. To Donaire, the best is always yet to
come.
“The last two fights I had were purely experimental,”
said Donaire. “We just get better from it but we are not going to experiment
with this fight. We will have to bring our very best with Nishioka. Different
approaches, technique. Like with [Jeffrey] Mathebula, I was the smaller guy. I
had to move a little bit like [Julio Cesar] Chavez or [Marvin] Hagler or be
aggressive. You never see me fight like that. This is purely experimental but
we get better at it as we face each type of fighting style.”
Donaire is a student of the game and understands
that with Nishioka, a technician coming from the southpaw stance with speed and
power, his game must be firing on all cylinders.
“I think we are going to have to do everything. We
are going to have to do a lot of things. Creative or whatever it may be, we
want to find an opening for it and he will do the same thing,” acknowledged
Donaire. “We are the same, you know? We have similar advantages,” said Donaire.
“We can say that our speed is our advantage or our power is our advantage
because it can be at one point. It depends on what kind of fight is out there
and what kind of fight is given to us.”
The fight itself is a mixture of interesting styles.
Donaire likes to freestyle out of either stance. Nishioka is a smooth southpaw
technician who is not afraid to get after it. Both men will have to do what
they do best to win but also step outside the box at times.
“We will start looking at videos and start figuring
that out,” Nishioka said of Donaire’s style and how best to neutralize it.
“For this
division, he is the top guy and that is the guy I want to fight. That is the
climax,” said Donaire, who still feels a featherweight campaign is a
possibility. “But going to a different division maybe a different story.
Whatever I can. If I move up or stay here and keep going, that remains to be
seen in the future.”
This fight brings two champions together to
celebrate what is best in boxing.
“To win a match with a great fighter and being
satisfied with that,” said Nishioka. Yes. This is best in boxing.
