By Chris Williams: IBF/WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire revealed his future direction he wants to take his career after defeating IBF super bantamweight champion Jeffrey Mathebula last Saturday night by a 12 round unanimous decision. Donaire told Max Kellerman of HBO that he’s interested in fighting Toshiaki Nishioka, the former WBC super bantamweight, and then moving up to featherweight.

It’s sad that Kellerman didn’t challenge Donaire by asking him why he won’t be facing the WBC champion Abner Mares or the WBA champion Guillermo Rigondeaux. After all, both of those fighters are MUCH better known in the United States than the 35-year-old Nishioka, who recently struggled to beat an old Rafael Marquez. Why is it that Donaire wants to fight Nishioka when pretty much only the hardcore boxing fans know who he is in the U.S? I bet if they were to put a poll together and ask the hardcore fans who would they prefer to see Donaire fight between Mares, Rigondeaux and Nishioka, the results would likely show Rigondeaux #1, Mares #2 and Nishioka a distant #3. Why fight a guy that boxing fans don’t care about and/or don’t know who he is? I’m still trying to understand Donaire’s rationale for fighting Mathebula, who was in the same boat as Nishioka as being an unrecognizable fighter to the average casual boxing fan in the U.S.

So why did Donaire fight Mathebula instead of the MUCH better known Mares and Rigondeaux? I don’t understand that at all. The only way I could really see a point to Donaire fighting Mathebula is that he was perceived by many as the easiest mark of the four champions at super bantamweight. But is that what this is all about finding the softest of the champions, picking up the belt and then announcing that you’re the undisputed super bantamweight champion before moving up to featherweight? It just seems off putting to me. Why did Donaire fight Mathebula when much bigger and much more highly respected fighters Mares and Rigondeaux were both available? I know Donaire doesn’t really like Rigondeaux’s fighting style, but you can’t argue him being a much more recognizable fighter.

If Donaire isn’t the one calling the shots in terms of who he fights, then his promoter Bob Arum needs to look at how it’s hurting Donaire’s career by not matching him against the very best/most popular fighters in the super bantamweight division. The way to make a fighter more popular is to put him in with competitive fights against the best possible opponent. That’s how you make a star, isn’t it? You don’t just pick out a guy that was recently beaten in Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and decide that’s a good opponent to put Donaire in with. You don’t pick out the most unrecognizable champion [Mathebula] in the super bantamweight division and decide to match Donaire up against him instead of Rigondeaux or Mares. That just seems like cherry picking to me.

If Donaire was going to stick around the super bantamweight division and eventually work his way up to fighting Mares and Rigondeaux, then I could understand the Mathebula and Nishioka fights. But to skip by Mares and Rigondeaux entirely after being Mathebula and Nishioka, both of whom I’m not impressed with, it just looks like Arum is trying to keep Donaire from getting beaten. Arum is the promoter but Donaire must have a say in who he wants to fight, and I imagine he could push for the Rigondeaux and Mares fights if he really wanted them. So why doesn’t he?

Will Donaire be considered the undisputed champion if he beats Nishioka but not Mares and Rigondeaux? I won’t consider Donaire the undisputed champion. I’ll consider him a title holder and that’s about it.