DONAIRE?S MEDIA WORKOUT MIRRORS HIS SKILLS AND HIS STRENGTH
By Rod Mijares
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 31 Oct 2008
Nonito arrived with his Team Donaire at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas today full of hope and confidence that he is going to win in his upcoming fight this Saturday on November 1st, 2008 at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. His opponent who is relatively unknown outside of South Africa but with quite impressive records on paper with 22 wins, 15 by way of KO or TKO under 7 rounds or less with only one loss is South African flyweight champion, Moruti ?Baby Face? Mthalane.
Mthalane earned to fight Donaire after his impressive win against Australian Hussein Hussein last July 5, 2008 in their title eliminator bout. At stake is Donaire?s IBF and IBO Flyweight titles and by the way Donaire?s better than superb workout today, those titles are for Nonito to keep for a long time.
Donaire stopped for a friendly chat with Jorge Arce who was also at Top Rank Gym in preparation for his WBA World Super Flyweight fight against Isidro Garcia on the same bout and posed for some pictures. He is hoping that if both of them are going to win on Saturday, Top Rank Promotion will line them up against each other for a fight at Super Flyweight.
?We have studied a lot of videos of the fights of Mthalane and we came up with a game plan and strategy,? Gary Cagaanan, Donaire?s adviser said who was also with Morris East, former Filipino WBA world light welterweight champion and also part of Team Donaire.
?Whatever he brings to the table, Donaire will have an answer for it. Mthalane is a volume puncher, they are both straight forward and don?t back up. But we see things that we can take advantage of,? continued Cagaanan.
Nonito?s workout maybe light to others. But the way he released those left hooks, no wonder the former undefeated flyweight champion, Vic Darchinyan was stunned and tasted the agony of a good knockout kissing the canvas on his way to the reality of his first and unbelievable defeat. His father and trainer, Nonito, Sr., was quite happy with the way Nonito, Jr. reacted as he barked instructions in Cebuano dialect. He responded with volume punches and combinations, good defense and flashy footworks.
?With his humble beginning from his birthplace in Bohol and growing up in the barrio of General Santos City, Manny Pacquiao?s home town, before migrating to America, Nonito remains humble. That?s the overall potential of his appeals, although, he came to America when he was just a young boy, he is still very much Pinoy, that?s his pride, his heritage,? Cagaanan said of Nonito.
Pride it is that Filipinos in America, especially, in the Philippines and other parts of the world should support their very own, the ?Filipino Flash? in Nonito Donaire, Jr., a world class champion, this coming Saturday at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. It?s the Filipino fans presence on every Filipino boxer?s fight outside of the Philippines that inspire them to work and fight harder for honor and glory. Nonito, no doubt has the blood of Flash Elorde, who knows his roots, who doesn?t forget where he came from and whose success he owes to his Filipino fans and come fight night another Filipino flag will surely rise to the occasion for the world to see.
Top photo: Arce (L) and Donaire pose for a photo at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas.
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