Nonito Donaire Jr. has had a peculiar career for the past seven years bouncing around three weight classes while winning World titles along the way.
The 2012 Fighter of the Year won World titles in the bantamweight, super bantamweight, and featherweight divisions and for his next fight he will go back to the 118-lb weight class.
WBA Super World bantamweight Ryan Burnett (19-0) will welcome Donaire back in the 118-lb division as the two lock horns in the quarterfinals of the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament.
Donaire, however, last fought as a bantamweight way back in October of 2011 when he successfully defended his WBC and WBO World bantamweight championships against Omar Andres Narvaez.
“He’s a tough kid, a bit awkward,” said the 35-year-old Donaire, who is nine years older than Burnett, in an interview with Boxingscene. “I’ve talked to him even before the fight came in. He’s very respectful, a very good kid. But we’re here to get in there and square off.”
“This is two divisions down and I know that I have just the punch in this division, I just have that scary punch and you just got to watch and see how it really plays out.”
Donaire (38-5) fought five times as a super bantamweight after his match against Narvaez where he put on a four-fight winning streak winning the WBC Diamond and WBO World super bantamweight straps before losing to Guillermo Rigondeaux in April of 2013.
The Filipino Flash then moved up to featherweight where he won, and lost, the WBA Super World featherweight belt in a span of less than five months.
From March 2015 until his last fight against Carl Frampton in April 2018, which resulted in a unanimous decision loss for the interim WBO featherweight belt, Donaire fought between the 122-lb and 122-lb weight classes.
This dizzying foray into different weight classes earned Donaire a resume worth of envy winning six titles across the three divisions.
Those accolades, however, doesn’t give Donaire that much of a mental edge over Burnett as he himself said he’s wary of the power of the British fighter.
“One thing I know is I’m not going to underestimate him, he’s a tough guy, he’s going to go in there with everything he’s got. He’s very crafty,” said Donaire who also has a chance to win the WBC Diamond belt in his fight against Burnett.
“I think I’m back to being the devastating guy, I’ve always been devastating, even at 126, they fear my power.”