Nonito Donaire…you have just entered the “Pacquiao Zone”

09/14/201610/17/2012 ESB

Nonito Donaire…you have just entered the “Pacquiao Zone” By Joseph Herron – Since bursting onto the big stage of boxing with one crushing left hook to the chin of the most feared Flyweight in the world circa 2007, Nonito Donaire has been one of the most dominant fighters in boxing. With lightning fast reflexes and freakish power for a lower weight division fighter, “The Filipino Flash” has made twenty nine consecutive victories look like an easy month at the office.

But like many dominant fighters of years past, Nonito Donaire currently finds himself in somewhat of a boxing quandary.

It seems the 29 year old fighter’s reputation has preceded his presence in the ring since placing a dent in the face of Fernando Montiel on HBO last year; not only to his opposition, but to the fans of boxing as well.

Since destroying the three division world champion on February 19th, 2011, most of Nonito’s opponents have receded into a timid and unwilling shell while standing in the ring with the pound for pound fighter. Although it’s an amazing testament to the talents of the proud Filipino pugilist, it doesn’t make for a very eventful evening of boxing.

After Donaire’s third championship victory in the Super Bantamweight division on Saturday, October 13th, his opponent admitted that his reluctance in the ring was intentional.

“The difference in the fight was the speed and I had to be careful,” stated Toshiaki Nishioka. “I had never faced a fighter with the speed of Donaire.”

Donaire stops Nishioka in 9th round; Rios defeats Alvarado in 7th round TKO

09/14/201610/13/2012 ESB

By Rob Smith: In a really disappointing match, IBF/WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (30-1, 19 KO’s) easily defeated 36-year-old WAY best his best Toshiaki Nishioka (39-5-3, 24 KO’s) by a 9th round TKO on Saturday night at the Home Depot Center, in Carson, California, USA. Donaire knocked the reluctant Nishioka down twice in the fight, once in the 6th and finished him off with a right to the head in the 9th. Nishioka’s corner threw in the towel after the knockdown.

It was yet another one of Donaire’s disappointing fights because he had tried to sell the aging Nishioka as the best fighter in the super bantamweight division for weeks to boxing fans, saying he’s better than the top fighters. It was painfully obvious tonight that the fading Nishioka wasn’t what Donaire had said he was, and it’s just disappointing that Donaire won’t take on the best guys in the division like Abner Mares and Guillermo Rigondeaux instead of guys like Nishioka and Jeffrey Mathebula.

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In a toe-to-toe war, former WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios (31-0-1, 23 KO’s) defeated previously unbeaten Mike Alvarado (33-1, 23 KO’s) by a 7th round TKO on Saturday night to claim the vacant WBO Latino light welterweight title in their WBO light welterweight title eliminator bout.

Nonito Donaire vs. Toshiaki Nishioka: Head to Head

09/14/201610/13/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron – On Saturday night, October 13th, from the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, pound for pound fighter and current IBF/WBO Super Bantamweight Champion Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18 KOs) will attempt to diversify his already successful boxing portfolio as he takes on the WBC Champion Emeritus Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs).

The Championship contest is part of a spectacular double header, which will be broadcast tonight on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 10 PM EST/PST.

While many fight fans and boxing scribes are clamoring for a super fight between Nonito and current WBA Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, tonight’s main event will pit the Ring recognized number one ranked 122 pound fighter against number three.

Because of his exposure on Showtime and HBO, it would be natural to assume that Donaire would be entering the ring as the number one ranked Super Bantamweight in the world.

But he’s not.

Toshiaka Nishioka is considered to be the number one fighter in the packed 122 pound weight division…and for good reason. The Tokyo, Japan based fighter hasn’t lost since entering the Super Bantamweight division back in 2004, defeating his opposition in convincing and impressive fashion.

Nonito Donaire vs. Toshiaki Nishioka & Brandon Rios vs. Mike Alvarado: Weigh-in report

09/14/201610/13/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: Earlier today from the Marriott Manhattan Beach on the southern California coastline, all four marquee fighters participating in tomorrow night’s HBO Boxing After Dark double header, Donaire vs. Nishioka and Rios vs. Alvarado, stepped on the official California State Athletic Commission scale to gain their respective division eligibility.

If the crowd in attendance anticipated some heated moments throughout the media event, they were ultimately disappointed. All four combatants were professional and courteous to their respective foes during the entire Top Rank special presentation.

The big question going into the official weigh-in was whether or not Brandon Rios was finally going to make the division weight limit to become eligible to compete for the WBO Latino Junior Welterweight title tomorrow night.

Before his previous two bouts, “Bam Bam” twice failed to make the Lightweight division limit of 135 pounds and wasn’t permitted to compete for the WBA lightweight Championship, although ultimately being cleared to fight.

Before the event, trainer Robert Garcia insisted that Brandon would be able to make 140 pounds comfortably.

Nonito Donaire vs. Toshiaki Nishioka: Will it be the return of the Filipino Flash?

10/13/201210/12/2012 ESB

By Peter Wells: Knockout after knockout after knockout. That was what it was like to be Nonito Donaire. Suddenly though a move to Super Bantamweight has halted Donaire’s fan pleasing knockout style and suddenly his fights are dragging out into one-sided 12 rounders.

On Saturday night maybe that spark he once possessed will return when he faces his toughest test at Super Bantamweight and may well be his toughest fight of his career. Toshiaki Nishioka may be 36 but is unbeaten since 2004 and has never lost at Super Bantamweight. After two early career defeats he has only lost twice, both defeats at the hands of the fantastic Thailand fighter, Veeraphol Sahaprom, both via unanimous decision. The Japanese fighter has also only ever been stopped once, and that was in his second professional fight back in 1995.

The former WBC champion, who had his title stripped after he couldn’t fight his mandatory challenger due to personal problems, has beaten many top quality fighters including; Jhonny Gonzalez, Ivan Hernandez, Rafael Marquez and Britain’s most famous binman, Rendall Munroe.

Donaire: My fight with Nishioka is #1 challenging to become the #1

10/05/201210/04/2012 ESB

By Dwight Chittenden: IBF/WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18 KO’s) has his mind made up that his fight against former WBC lightweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KO’s) is a bout pitting the two best fighters at 122 going up against each other on October 13th at the Home Depot Center, in Carson, California, United States. What’s interesting is how different Donaire sees this fight compared to the average boxing fan who have seen Nishioka fight recently. To many of them, this is just another one of Donaire’s fight against a guy that isn’t on his level, and hardly a fight against the number #1 super bantamweight fighter in the division.

Nonito Donaire vs. Toshiaki Nishioka: Too much risk for the reward?

09/14/201610/04/2012 ESB

(Photo credit: Adrian Hernandez) By Joseph Herron: On October 13th, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, pound for pound fighter and IBF/WBO Super Bantamweight Champion Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18 KOs) will attempt to acquire the WBC Diamond distinction when he faces WBC Champion Emeritus Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs).

Although die-hard boxing fans and fight scribes in “the know” recognize the dangers in facing a world class fighter and versatile boxer/puncher like the Tokyo, Japan resident, most casual fans who aren’t familiar with Nishioka won’t appreciate how daunting of a task earning a decisive victory will be.

Although the 18 year ring veteran has been inactive for almost a full calendar year, Toshiaki Nishioka is one of the more intelligent fighters in boxing, displaying the ability to adapt to his opponent’s strengths and exploit their weaknesses.

Arum gushing about Donaire’s power, calls him “Unbelievable”

09/14/201610/03/2012 ESB

By Rob Smith: Promoter Bob Arum is practically tripping over himself with his happiness at how good his fight IBF/WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18 KO’s) is looking as he prepares for his October 13th fight against 36-year-old former WBC super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KO’s) on HBO at the Home Depot Center, Carson, California.

Speaking with Manila Standard, Arum said that the 29-year-old Donaire is displaying “Unbelievable strength” in getting for their fight for the vacant Diamond super bantamweight strap, which the World Boxing Council has conveniently put on the line for this fight, as if the bout didn’t already have more than enough titles up for grabs. Not only happy with Donaire’s strength, Arum gushed about the interest in the fight, saying “A lot of interest, real grassroots interest in the fight, and everybody is excited while while ESPN is giving him [Donaire] a lot of coverage.”

That’s kind of weird, because I can’t see any threads about the Donaire-Nishioka fight at any of the major boxing forums. It’s as if the fights not taking place at all. Usually when there’s an important fight taking place in a week like the Donaire-Nishioka fight on October 13th, the boxing forums have multiple threads daily. But I can’t find one thread in any of the sites, which kind of tells me that Arum screwed up by matching Donaire against the guy from Japan Nishioka.

Donaire vs. Nishioka; power vs. quickness

09/14/201610/02/2012 ESB

by Robert Jackson: Quickness is in the mind, speed is in the body. Quickness is that quantity where ones perceptions – in response to events going on around him/her, are analyzed by the mind in a very short time and a solution is come to very rapidly. Speed is rapid mechanical movement produced by the body. Examples of these would be a sprinter who’s quickness is in play upon hearing the starters gun to rapidly respond and leave the starting blocks, and whose speed motors him/her down the track to the finish line.

Power in mathematical terms is the force (strength) x velocity (speed), where either affects the absolute output. With more force and less speed the power that is produced will exhibit itself as a forceful PUSH. Increase the speed along with that force and the power produced will look like a punch with a lot of pop on it, the kind that produces knockouts. So, depending on the sport you’re engaging in the type of power you want is specific. For example an NFL offensive lineman will develop the force component of power to a very high level to forcefully push defensive linemen and linebackers out of his way to make a running lane for a following halfback. While a boxer will develop force to a optimum level while simultaneously developing speed to a optimum level to have the necessary pop on his punches to KO his opponent rather than just deliver a forceful push.

Robert Garcia: “Nonito Donaire is a real Champion who doesn’t duck anyone”

09/14/201609/25/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: With the big Super Bantamweight showdown between IBF and WBO Champion Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18 KOs) and WBC Champion Emeritus Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs) less than three weeks away, suspense is building among fight fans around the world for this terrific match-up.

The highly anticipated 12 round fight will not only determine the number one fighter in the packed 122 pound weight division, but will also crown a new WBC Diamond Champion.

Elite level trainer Robert Garcia expects to see the best version of “The Filipino Flash” at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on October 13th.

“Nonito is a professional and always performs at the highest level when faced with a tough fighter like Nishioka,” insists the Ring magazine’s “2011 Trainer of the Year” award recipient. “This is a challenging fight, but that’s what Nonito wants. He wants to fight the best fighters in boxing and I think that’s what everyone expects from him.”