Donaire wary of Japanese champ
WBO and IBF super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. poses with challenger Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan during the press conference announcing their fight on Oct. 13.Photo courtesy of philboxing.com’s Dr. Ed de la Vega
MANILA, Philippines – WBO and IBF super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. admits he may be facing the most dangerous opponent he had so far in Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan.
Donaire and Nishioka met face to face for the first time to announce their fight at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on Oct. 13, and both fighters vowed to put on a show.
“With the ‘Speed King’ and the ‘Filipino Flash’…this fight can end at any moment, at any time,” said Donaire (29-0-2, with 18 KOs), whose last outing was a unanimous decision victory over Jeffrey Mathebula last July.
“This is an all-out war between Nishioka and me,” he added during the official press conference.
Nishioka (39-4-3, with 24 KOs), the current WBC super bantamweight champion, echoed his Filipino-American foe’s statement.
“I would like for both of us to be in the best condition and put on the best fight possible. I plan to win,” said Nishioka, whose impressive fight resume includes wins over former Mexican champions Jhonny Gonzales and Rafael Marquez.
The Japanese is coming off a 16-fight winning streak that dates back to 2004 and has had success fighting both at home and overseas – a fact that Donaire openly acknowledged.
“Nishioka has beaten other guys in their territory and on their home turf,” Donaire told ringtv.com’s Lem Satterfield the other day. “He’s defeated some good people by knockout, so I know that he’s very, very dangerous.”
Donaire holds Nishioka in such high regard that he even claimed the Japanese to be his most-complete opponent to date.
“Nishioka is the most complete fighter I’ve faced other than, maybe, (Fernando) Montiel. Montiel was a complete fighter and stuff like that, but this guy is even more of a veteran. But I am a fighter who seeks challenges and who seeks to fight the best out there,” said Donaire, who in 2011 destroyed Montiel in just two rounds in perhaps the most impressive win of his career.
“This is a must-see fight. There are no words that can describe how grand this fight is. This is the best of the best,” he added.