CAN ANYONE STAND UP TO DONAIRE?
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 14 Oct 2012
I was expecting a bloody chess match but the ?Speed King? turned out to be a lowly pawn. WBO super bantamweight champ Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire and WBC Emeritus Champion Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan had the credentials for a potential classic. But Nishioka was too cautious and the crowd at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California and the fight fans watching on television on a Sunday morning here in the Philippines expressed their disgust in the first five rounds.
Donaire showed that he had the superior speed and landed his jab and one-two combinations with ease in the early rounds. The Japanese southpaw tried to open up in the 6th and paid for it by being decked by a left uppercut.
Nishioka did try to fight back in the seventh and eighth rounds but Donaire knocked him down again with a hard right in the ninth round. Nishioka got up but Referee Raul Caiz,Sr. stopped the carnage at the 1:54 mark in the 9th.
Nishioka drops to 39W-5L-3D, 24 KO's while Donaire moves up to 30W-1L with 19 KO's.
With this stoppage, the 29 year old Donaire also sent a message that he has knockout power at the super bantamweight level. He also earned the historically linear world title belt from Ring magazine and the Diamond belt from the WBC.
Donaire officially established himself as the best 122 lb boxer on the planet but if he continues to have fights like this one, he could wind up being the lower weight division equivalent of the Klitschko brothers. Not good for someone who wants to be a ?pay per view? attraction like Manny Pacquiao.
Donaire is targeting the winner of next month?s 122-pound showdown between WBC titleholder Abner Mares of the U.S. and Anselmo Moreno of Panama. But any one of these two fine champions will still be underdogs against the Flash.
RIOS-ALVARADO STEALS THE SHOW
The fight was as good as advertised, even better. Classics like Castillo-Corrales I and the Gatti-Ward Trilogy were mentioned during the build-up to Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado and they certainly performed to expectations.
Rios (31W-0L-1D, 24 KO's) gave Alvarado (33W-1L, 23 KO's) his first career loss in the show stopping ring war that was later tagged as a ?Fight of the Year? candidate. The see-saw battle was fought at close quarters right from the opening round and power punches were traded non-stop.
Both fighters never took a back step. In the 7th Rios landed devastating head shots that snapped back the head of Alvarado. After a few of those shots, Referee Pat Russell decided that Alvarado, who was only supported by the ring ropes, had enough and stopped the fight at 1:57 of the round.
Rios, who won the vacant WBO Latino light welterweight title, is now looking at facing the winner of the fourth bout between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Press Conference Notes: Puerto Rican Star Xander Zayas Ready for Saturday's Hometown Unification Battle against Abass Baraou
Fri, 30 Jan 2026PFDA Grass Nationals in Tagum on June 5-7
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 30 Jan 2026‘THE RING 6’ TEOFIMO LOPEZ VS. SHAKUR STEVENSON PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Fri, 30 Jan 2026NEWCASTLE PRESS CONFERENCE: WHAT WAS SAID AS JOSH KELLY AND BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV ARE KEPT APART AFTER HEATED FACE-OFF
Fri, 30 Jan 2026Weights From ProBoxTV’s ‘Flores vs. Castillo’ at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland
Fri, 30 Jan 2026WAPA Deportes Confirmed as Puerto Rican Broadcast Home for Saturday’s Xander Zayas vs. Abass Baraou Title Unification Showdown
Fri, 30 Jan 2026Legendary Panamanian Juan Carlos Tapia will be inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Manny Pacquiao Promotions Announces Additional Matchups for Saturday, February 28 Event at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York
Fri, 30 Jan 2026SWERVE TV STRIKES MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS TO EXPAND PREMIUM BOXING CONTENT
Fri, 30 Jan 2026Leuenbergers to join IRONMAN® 70.3 Davao
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 30 Jan 2026Open Workout: Xander Zayas and Abass Baraou Prepare For Saturday's Unification Showdown in Puerto Rico
Thu, 29 Jan 2026Cabrera-Zapata Kicks Off All Star Boxing's 2026 Season
Thu, 29 Jan 2026Manny Pacquiao Chess Philippines: Cash prizes, FIDE rating at stakes this Sunday
By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 29 Jan 2026IBP Fun Run & Family Day on February 15
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 29 Jan 2026TEOFIMO LOPEZ AND SHAKUR STEVENSON FACE-OFF AT KNICKS GAME AS COUNTDOWN TO ‘THE RING 6’ ON SATURDAY BEGINS
Wed, 28 Jan 2026