IBF CHAMP DONAIRE WOULD LOVE TO FIGHT IN THE PHILIPPINES
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 17 Jul 2007
Newly crowned IBF/IBO flyweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire says he would “love” if his next fight could be held in the Philippines.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Donaire said he was arriving on Saturday as guest of the giant Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN along with his father, Nonito Donaire Sr who is also his trainer and a cousin. Donaire indicated he was grateful to ABS-CBN for "recgnizing my victory and helping me out."
Donaire will be special studio guest of ABS-CBN during its “live” coverage of the blockbuster Golden Boy Promotions "Coming to Fight" card on Sunday. The telecast will feature the WBO lightweight title fight between Czar Amonsot and champion Michael Katsidis, the interim featherweight title bout between Oscar Larios and undefeated Jorge Linarez and the main event featuring two of the greatest fighters of all time, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and Winky Wright beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Donaire said his desire to fight before a hometown crowd is to prove his worth to Filipinos, many of whom hardly gave him a chance in his title fight against the abrasive and arrogant puncher Vic Darchinyan whom he outclassed before putting him away with a picture-perfect left hook in round five. Donaire said “to be home to get my grandpa to see me fight ‘live’ would be so awesome.”
Nonito said he was looking forward to the visit and was “so excited just to see my grandpa.” He recalled that when his grandfather, Francisco Gonzales who lives in Talibon, Bohol heard about his spectacular victory over Darchinyan “he just cried. It was very emotional for the whole family.”
Donaire recalled that his grandfather used to watch boxing in Bohol and recalled that they “didn’t even have electricity or anything like that back then. Grandpa had a battery-operated radio and he was listening to boxing all the time. He loves boxing a lot.”
Donaire’s father and trainer Nonito Sr said they will stay in the Philippines until August 3 and that when the champion returns to the US “we’ll start working out.”
The articulate and classy young champion said he wants to relax and take a month off since he had trained for nine months for the Darchinyan fight and the fights before the title clash. “Then” he said, “I’ll get ready again” although he hasn’t heard from promoter Gary Shaw or his manager Cameron Dunkin about his next fight.
Donaire made it clear “its their call. I’ll never say ‘no’ to any opponent. I hope to fight the best out there. I live for that. It’s the greatest feeling that you can ever get as a fighter. Its my promoter’s and manager’s decision but I say ‘no’ to nobody.”
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