Methodical Japanese tough test for Donaire

THE REIGNING IBF and WBO super bantamweight champion is at a crossroads. Nonito Donaire Jr. (29-1-0) is, no doubt, an excellent boxer, one who has been described as possessing better boxing fundamentals than Manny Pacquiao. His pursuit of greatness will now highly depend on the choices he makes.

Donaire will defend his title this Saturday in California (Sunday in Manila) against the Japanese Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-1). Accepting a fight against the solid Japanese fighter, who has a string of 16 consecutive wins, may well be a step toward the right decision.

Critics have pointed out that no one—after Darchinian—has ever given the Filipino Flash a challenge good enough for him to showcase what he can really do. It is expected that Nishioka will perform as well as he did in his last fight against the tough Mexican Rafael Vaz-quez, thus pulling out the best from Donaire.

Donaire must remain focused

The hard-hitting Filipino clearly has the advantage in speed and power. He is also comfortable fighting southpaws, being a natural lefty himself. More importantly, Donaire should be in tip-top shape come Saturday.

One very important key to victory is patience. Fighters like Donaire also compete against themselves atop the ring. In his desire to impress fans and critics alike, he should not be pulled into a kind of fight he is not comfortable with. He must stay focused.

His speed will give him the ability to move in and out, create angles to make contact. This also reduces the challenger’s chances of throwing effective counterpunches.

Donaire is expected to use right hand leads to begin his combinations. Well-timed straights will stop his foe from advancing and might even make it a short evening for both of them.

Nishioka can be relentless

The 5-foot-6 Nishioka is a silent worker. He works methodically and breaks down his opponent slowly. This could be the first time, however, he will be going up against a boxer with the skill level of Donaire.

To confuse the Filipino, Nishioka is expected to keep on moving forward and to attempt to bait Donaire to initiate inside-fighting. He will, as he always does, attempt a counter right hook and left straight. To be effective, however, he must match the speed of the Filipino Flash.

A win here will further strengthen Donaire’s  dominance in this weight division. It should pave the way for fights with Abner Mares, Jorge Arce or maybe Vic Darchinian again. A win against any of these pugilists is another step to boxing greatness for the Filipino.