CARSON, California—It didn’t take long for Nonito Donaire Jr.’s father-trainer to determine that their main concern will be Nicholas Walters’ brute power in both fists.
The elder Donaire on Tuesday said that they already found a way to deal with Walters’ vaunted punching might, which earned the Jamaican the nickname “Axe-Man.”
“He (Walters) is powerful but his punches come slow,” the father said in a low voice. “If he has a cannon, Jun has an Armalite. We’ll connect easier, faster and more frequently.”
He said Donaire Jr., is back to being the quick-thinking, quick-punching fighter that he used to be.
“It is good because we worked hard to bring back that old mentality, to be agile and to be quick to see where the punches are coming,” said Donaire Sr.
The elder Donaire was the chief trainer when Donaire Jr. slammed Vic Darchinyan to submission in an upset that launched him to the boxing world’s radar screen in 2007.
And for this fight, Donaire (33-2-0 with 21 knockouts) said it was his dad who mapped out the entire fight plan.
The WBA world title fight takes place this Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at StubHub Center here.
Walters (24-0-0 with 20 KOs) began his pro career in 2008 when Donaire was already beginning to gain pound-for-pound credibility.