Donaire ready to put Nishioka to bed

MANILA, Philippines - IBF/WBO superbantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. has a surprise for WBC emeritus titlist Toshiaki Nishioka and he’ll spring it with a bang in their 12-round bout before an expected sellout crowd at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, 10 miles south of Los Angeles, this morning (Manila time).

Donaire, 29, said he’s ready to take whatever Nishioka dishes out and there’s nothing the Japanese can do to win. He’s got a fight plan that’s guaranteed to seal Nishioka’s fate and reestablish his legacy as the next great Filipino champion after Manny Pacquiao.

Known for his left hook, Donaire is tipped to use his right as the key weapon in tearing the southpaw Nishioka’s defense apart. It could be the overhand right or the right lead that might send the Japanese to dreamland. Or if Nishioka shifts his guard to defend the right, Donaire’s left will get the job done. Either way, Nishioka’s chances don’t look too encouraging.

But there is the question of Donaire’s potency in the 122-pound division. Since moving up in weight, the Filipino Flash hasn’t scored a knockout, settling for a win on points over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and Jeffrey Mathebula. He managed to deck both opponents but couldn’t finish them off. Mathebula, however, finished with a cracked jaw and later underwent surgery where doctors implanted two plates to repair the damage. Besides, Nishioka hasn’t been stopped since his second professional outing in 1995 – 17 years ago – so he’s not an easy nut to crack.

Nishioka, 36, is retiring after the fight, win or lose, according to Japanese writer Masa Ueda. That’s because he’s engaged in a fight sanctioned by the WBO and IBF which are unrecognized by the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC). No matter what happens, Nishioka will never be able to fight on Japanese shores again for defying the JBC’s blacklist policy. That only means Nishioka will fight without pressure – he’s got absolutely nothing to lose.

Nishioka hasn’t fought since outpointing Juan Manuel Marquez’ brother Rafael in October last year. The long layoff may or may not be a liability. For sure, there will be rust in Nishioka’s armor but he’s a disciplined fighter and the word is he comes well-prepared to do whatever it takes to beat Donaire. Nishioka has never lost to a Filipino in eight career fights with Fernando Montilla the closest to winning in salvaging a draw. Among his Filipino victims were Rodel Llanita, Pedrito Laurente, Joel Junio and Joel Avila.

Experience is clearly in Nishioka’s favor. When he turned pro in 1994, Donaire was only 12. The Japanese has logged a total of 46 fights compared to Donaire’s 30. Nishioka hasn’t lost in his last 16 outings. A setback on points to Thai Veerapol Sahaprom was his last taste of defeat in 2004. Donaire has the advantage in speed, skill and smarts. He’s a smooth operator in the ring and a deadly sharpshooter. Donaire not only finds the opening for his big shots but also creates the opportunities to land the sleeper.

Referee for the fight is 59-year-old Raul Caiz Sr. who was in Manila to work Donnie Nietes’ win over Felipe Salguero in a WBO lightflyweight title bout last June. The judges are Adalaide Byrd, Tony Crebs and Fritz Werner. Byrd’s husband Robert was the referee in Pacquiao’s fight against Timothy Bradley last June. She was a judge in Pacquiao’s 12th round technical knockout win over Miguel Cotto in 2009. Crebs was a judge in Z Gorres’ eighth round stoppage of Eric Ortiz in Sacramento in 2007. Werner, 84, was in Manila twice for fights involving Filipinos. In 1986, he was a judge in Hilario Zapata’s victory over Dodie Boy Penalosa for the WBA flyweight crown and in 1991, was a judge in Israel Contreras’ knockout over Luisito Espinosa in a WBA bantamweight title bout.

Donaire’s conditioning specialist Victor Conte promised a return to the Filipino Flash’s “monster” form which he showed in disposing of Vic Darchinyan and Fernando Montiel. Conte was recruited to join Donaire’s camp five fights back. He said Donaire will be as devastating against Nishioka as he was in trouncing Darchinyan and Montiel.

“People expect a lot from me,” said Donaire. “We’ve been trying to change things up to get different results. Against Nishioka, we can’t let our guard down and (we’re) going back to the old Nonito Donaire style of fighting smart. We’re mentally and physically prepared for this big fight. One thing he’ll try to do is land the straight that’s difficult to do against me. Aside from that, I haven’t seen any tape that he can do damage with. He did great against Marquez but Marquez is a lot slower than me. A lot of those punches won’t land with me with power. Nishioka has power and knows how to set it up. He’s a veteran and knows the tricks that can frustrate a fighter – that’s what we don’t want to fall into. We have a great gameplan and we’re ready for whatever it is.”

Donaire’s record is 29-1 with 18 KOs compared to Nishioka’s 39-4-3 with 24 KOs.  There’s hardly a difference in their height and wingspan. Donaire is 5-5 1/2 with a 68-inch wingspan while Nishioka is 5-6 1/ 2 with a 68 1/2-inch wingspan. The Filipino hasn’t lost in his last 28 fights dating back to 11 years ago.

In yesterday’s weigh-in, Donaire tipped the scales at 121.6 pounds and Nishioka, 121.8.