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source: abs-cbnnews.com

After an uneventful bout against Argentina’s Omar Narvaez, Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. wants to pull off a sensational victory in his first fight as a super bantamweight.

Donaire aims to win the WBO super bantamweight title against former champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., and he wants to win it in a spectacular fashion.

“I want to show improvement every time that I go into the ring. I want to look great, I want to look awesome, I want to look fast, and I want to look fantastic. I want to see how I can do against the bigger guys,” he said in a RingTV.com interview.

Donaire said that although he won over Narvaez last October, he was frustrated with the way the fight turned out.

“I was disappointed in the last fight,” he said.

Although Donaire retained his WBC and WBO bantamweight titles against Narvaez, he wasn’t able to knockout the overly-defensive Argentine boxer.

He said his performance might have been affected by his long rest from the ring.

“I came to realize that I had taken a long layoff and that I had dropped a lot of weight abruptly,” he said.

Now that he’s making the climb to super bantamweight, Donaire said he would no longer need to struggle to make the weight limit.

As a super bantamweight, Donaire would need to weigh in at 122 pounds unlike when he was still a bantamweight, which has a weight limit of 118.

“This time, right now, I’m actually just a few pounds above where I need to be. I’m about 5 to 7 pounds above the weight limit already of being within where I need to be for this next weight class,” said Donaire.

Donaire believes he can perform and move better at a more comfortable weight.

“I know that I can beat a lot of guys with my movement. I want to look spectacular. That’s good for boxing.”

Donaire will fight Vazquez on February 4 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

source: Marc Anthony Reyes | inquirer.net

Three-division world boxing champion Nonito Donaire Jr. yesterday said it would be foolhardy for him to look past Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. when he debuts in the junior featherweight division on Feb. 4 in San Antonio, Texas.

Donaire wrote on his Facebook wall page that Vazquez reminds him of himself when he fought and wrested the IBF-IBO flyweight crown from the then-unbeaten Armenian Vic Dar-chinyan via a spectacular fifth-round knockout in 2007.

Donaire will battle Vazquez at the Alamodome in San Antonio for the vacant World Boxing Organization junior featherweight title.

“Remember, Darcy looked past me but I was hungrier,” said Donaire. “It will be a test for me to see if my power and speed carries to the next weight. It would be foolish of me to look past [Vazquez] for any reason.”

Vazquez’s credentials include a fourth-round knockout win over Filipino Marvin Sonsona in 2010. The son of three-division champion and boxing legend Wilfredo Vazquez is also coming off a third-round KO of Roberto Carlos Leyva last October.

Despite that and a 21-1-1 (18 by KO) record, Vazquez still can’t be ranged against the big shots on Donaire’s checklist like bantamweight champion Jorge Arce, Olympic champion and former IBF featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Japanese Toshiaki Nishioka, who holds the WBC super bantam crown.

Vazquez held that same WBO junior featherweight belt until last May, when he lost it to Arce. In that fight, Vazquez unleashed several thundering shots to floor Arce in the fourth round, but the classy Mexican picked himself up to score a stunning 12th-round TKO.

Arce has since relinquished that title in order to fight at 118 pounds.

“I’m fighting Vazquez because he’s a formidable opponent for my debut in 122 lb,” said Donaire. “He’s a former world champ, a great boxer, is comfortable at 122 and is hungry.”

source: abs-cbnnews.com

World super bantamweight titlist Toshiaki Nishioka said his potential foe, Filipino-American champion Nonito Donaire Jr., has outstanding boxing skills.

“He’s a great boxer. He has great countering ability and his footwork is very good,” Nishioka said in Examiner.com.

Aside from Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Nishioka is among the potential opponents of Donaire in his climb to the super bantamweight ranks.

The 36-year-old Nishioka is the reigning WBC super bantamweight champion.

He defeated Rafael Marquez last October to retain his belt for the 6th time.

“Nishioka has speed, that’s definitely true,” Donaire said of Nishioka. “Not only that, he has power. He’s very powerful in both hands.”

But when asked about the possible fight against Donaire in 2012, Nishioka refused to divulge details.

“The fight hasn’t been finalized so I haven’t really put too much thought into it,” he said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Top Rank chief executive officer Bob Arum is aiming for Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire’s next bout to once again be held in New York City.

Donaire’s debut in New York was less than stellar, after his opponent, Omar Narvaez of Argentina, chose to defend rather than engage throughout the match.

Donaire won that fight via a unanimous decision, but he expressed disappointment over his performance and apologized to the fans afterward.

Although the fight saw little action, Arum is still looking to bring Donaire back for one more fight in New York, according to a report from Boxing Scene.

The fight will be against a former super bantamweight champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. Arum is hoping that he can hold the bout in The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Vazquez is sure to give Donaire a greater challenge than Narvaez did, as the Puerto Rican boxer is known for his knockout power.

The fight against Vazquez will be Donaire’s first in the super bantamweight division after having won titles in the bantamweight division.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

“Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire Jr. is looking forward to a possible fight at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, where a 20,000-seater stadium will be opened next year.

Donaire, who will climb up to super bantamweight class in 2012, said the fight may take place sometime in June.

“That’s what they’re saying. Maybe sometime around June when the MOA [Mall of Asia] Stadium gets built,” Donaire said in Examiner.com.

“We can probably have [Jorge] Arce out there or [WBC champion Toshiaki] Nishioka or whoever it is out there; it’s going to be great!” he added.

The Filipino Flash confirmed that he may be fighting 4 times in 2012.

He said this includes the fight at the MOA Arena, which is set to open in May 2012.

Among the possible opponents of Donaire, the reigning WBC and WBO bantamweight titlist, are Mexican Arce, Japan’s Nishioka, Puerto Rican Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. and South Africa’s Takalani Ndlovu.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Filipino-American boxer Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. remains king of the bantamweight class based on ESPN’s divisional rankings.

Donaire, who recently defended his WBC and WBO bantamweight crowns, got ESPN.com’s nod even after an umimpressive fight where challenger Argentine Omar Narvaez chose to simply defend himself.

“Donaire did everything he could to make it a fight and please the fans at New York’s Madison Square Garden Theater, but Narvaez refused to fight and turned in a horrible performance,” said ESPN.com.

Donaire will soon leave the bantamweight class to challenge big names in the super bantamweight division.

One of his possible opponents is Wilfredo Vasquez Jr.

Should the Vasquez fight push through in early 2012, it will be for the vacant WBO super bantamweight title.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Filipino boxer Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. will fight Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in what will be his debut at the super bantamweight division.

According to Boxing Scene, Top Rank chief executive officer Bob Arum has confirmed that Donaire and Vazquez will battle for the vacant World Boxing Organization super bantamweight title in February 2012.

Donaire, who held the WBO and WBC bantamweight belts, is coming off a shutout victory against Omar Narvaez of Argentina. He admitted that he is having trouble making the weight at 118 pounds.

The fight against Vazquez will be the first of at least four bouts in 2012 for Donaire. He may fight again in June 2012 in Manila.

Vazquez, a 27-year-old Puerto Rican boxer, has a 21-1-1 win-loss-draw record, with 18 wins coming by knockout. He is currently ranked number 9 in THE RING’s super bantamweight ratings.

Donaire is ranked number 1 in THE RING’s bantamweight ratings and number 4 in the pound-for-pound ratings.