Donaire training for November 9th fight, still wants Darchinyan

By Boxing News - 08/27/2013 - Comments

donaire2221By Chris Williams: Nonito Donaire (31-2, 20 KO’s) has started training for his November 9th fight at a still to be determined venue in Texas. Donaire will be fighting at featherweight now after having problems making super bantamweight for his last fight against Guillermo Rigondeaux last April.

Donaire feels this is a better weight class for him, as he’s now walking around at 145 lbs. in between fights. Donaire is still interested in fighting 37-year-old Vic Darchinyan (39-5-1, 28 KO’s), but he says he’s move onto someone else if Darchinyan doesn’t want to fight him at featherweight.

Darchinyan wants to meet Donaire at a catch-weight in between super bantamweight and featherweight, but it doesn’t look like Donaire is going to accommodate him.

Donaire said to the Manila Standard “I’m starting my training camp for November 9. My shoulder is a lot better and I’m really doing good. 126 is good for me. If Darchinyan doesn’t want to fight , there are many other guys out there.”

Why Donaire wants to fight the much smaller 5’4” Darchinyan is the big question. Darchinyan has lost 2 out of his last 4 fights, he’s 37-years-old now, he was already knocked out by Donaire in 2007, and he hasn’t been a really good fighter since he left the super flyweight division back in 2009.

Darchinyan doesn’t have the size to compete against the best at bantamweight, super bantamweight, and definitely not the size to compete against someone like Donaire at featherweight. If Donaire rehydrates to 145 lbs, Darchinyan is going to look 2 or 3 divisions smaller than him.

Donaire needs to immerse in the featherweight division if he plans on fighting at this weight. By fighting undersized super bantamweights like Darchinyan while in the featherweight division, it comes across like Donaire isn’t willing to test himself against guys in that division.

It kind of reminds me of how Humberto Soto moved up from the lightweight division to the light welterweight division, but then kept fighting lightweights for a while at 140 lbs. until he finally stepped it up against a real light welterweight in Lucas Matthysse, and Soto got blown out in 5 rounds.

If Donaire really wants to fight at featherweight, then he needs to fight featherweights his own size like Jhonny Gonzalez, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Gary Russell Jr. or Orlando Salido. I don’t think Donaire can beat any of those guys, but those are the kinds of fighters he’ll have to mix it up with if he plans on fighting at featherweight, unless of course his promoter will be steering Donaire around those guys.



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