By Chris Williams: IBF/WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18 KO’s) was recently able to pick up an easy paper title against little known IBF champion Jeffrey Mathebula earlier this month on July 7th. With bigger fights available to him against WBC champ Abner Mares and WBA champion Guillero Rigondeaux, Donaire opted for the light hitting Mathebula to fight instead.

With that mismatch out of the way, Donaire is now going to be facing 32-year-old Jorge Arce (60-6-2, 46 KO’s) late on in the year rather than facing Mares or Rigondeaux. It doesn’t make sense because there’s no real demand from hardcore boxing fans for an Arce-Donaire fight, and Arce pretty much has unfinished business with his last opponent Jesus M Rojas after Arce suddenly suffered an injury in the 2nd round when things were starting to look bleak for him against the young Rojas. It looked like Arce quit when he started to get pounded.

I don’t for a second think that Arce has a chance against Donaire. He doesn’t because he’s too small and old. Arce, 5’4″, is a good fighter and used to be one of the best, but he’s not in Donaire’s class. I rate Arce as possibly five or six, but not up there with guys like Rigondeaux, Mares, and Toshiaki Nishioka. I seriously doubt that Arce would beat Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. if they were to fight again. Arce looks to have aged since their fight last year in May and I think he’d get knocked out or forced to quit if he fought Vazquez Jr. right now.

I’m really hoping Donaire steps it up after the Arce fight but I don’t think it’s going to happen. He’ll fight someone else and stay away from Mares or Rigondeaux, and HBO will still likely televise the fights . HBO is supposed to be a gatekeeper for that kind of thing by making sure the fighters they televise are fighting the fights boxing fans want to see. But I think they’re really missing the boat with Donaire. Look at his recent fights and you tell me if this is good television: Mathebula, Vazquez Jr., and Omar Narvaez. Where is Rigondeaux and Mares?