Filipinos and foreigners on Twitter expressed their well-wishes for Filipino-American boxing star Nonito Donaire Jr. who will be fighting on July 7 for a World Boxing Organization (WBO)-International Boxing Federation (IBF) unification bout in Carson City, California.
“Filipino Flash” Donaire (28-1 18 KOs) will be defending his WBO junior featherweight crown against South African IBF champion Jeffrey Methabula (26-3 14 KOs), according to a report of the news site Asian Journal.
Filipinos and foreigners on Twitter have been abuzz with excitement with the upcoming bout.
M A T: “@filipinoflash Excited to be cheering for Nonito Donaire from row 12 floor 5 in Carson tomorrow night!”
Christine Alejo: “Nonito Donaire, the next Filipino boxing allstar. #believethat”
Danny Walker: “Can’t wait to see Nonito donaire fight! #teamdonaire”
Well-conditioned for the fight
The 29-year-old Donaire mentioned to sports news site Phil Boxing that he conditioned himself thoroughly for the bout since he was disappointed with his previous performance.
“My last fight at 122 pounds I was pretty small, I was walking at 128 pounds. For this fight I had been walking at 133 to 138 pounds, which is a big difference,” Donaire told Philboxing.
“When I went to camp, which was two months ago, that’s when I began the boxing and I was a lot bigger and stronger than the last fight,” he added.
Donaire, standing at 5’7 will be having a rare height disadvantage facing the 5’10 Methabula who also holds a considerable reach advantage.
However, he is not worried and plans to dominate the 122 pound division by defeating guys like Guillermo Rigondeaux and Abner Mares next.
In best shape?
Donaire admitted that for the bout with Methabula, he has dropped vices such as occasional drinking and partying.
"This is going to be the first fight that I really, truly worked hard. Usually I'd go 2 or 3 times a week, this time I'm there everyday,” he said to Examiner.
I'm taking this fight serious and see how I feel and hopefully I carry it on for the remainder of my career,” he added.
Donaire’s core and strength coach Michael Bazzel also had positive feedback for him.
"Nonito is doing great. This has been a really good training camp. He's always in time and he's putting in great work," he said.
Rising up
Donaire, who looked up to Filipino boxing icon and Saranggani Rep. Manny Pacquiao said that it didn’t bother him even if a lot of Filipinos haven’t embraced him and are still comparing him to the “Pacman,” according to a report from sports news site Examiner.
"It doesn't bother me. I am who I am, and I'm proud to be Filipino. All I can do is try to be a positive influence, and be the best person that I can be," Donaire said to Examiner.
He also mentioned that the criticisms mostly come from the Philippines but the general reception from the Filipino-American community in the US is positive.
“If they don't like me, what can I do? That's why I truly appreciate those that truly support me, and it just makes me want to train harder and do better for them," he said. - VVP, GMA News
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