Donaire eyes Arce next

CARSON CITY, California—Jorge Arce’s name came up anew as Nonito Donaire Jr.’s next opponent.

For the fourth straight fight, Top Rank boss Bob Arum said the feisty Mexican would be next in line for the Filipino Flash, in a fight that could happen as early as this December in Mexico City.

“If his hands heal, we could do that fight,” said Arum after Donaire scored a ninth-round technical knockout over former WBC champion Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) at Home Depot Center here.

Donaire hurt the knuckles of his left hand after hammering and felling the Japanese with an uppercut in the sixth round. When members of Team Donaire removed his left glove, Donaire yelled in agony and blood trickled down his hand still wrapped in tape.

The General Santos City fighter intimated that he would love to be in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV on Dec. 8, but his manager Cameron Dunkin said that wouldn’t be possible as HBO has other plans for him.

Dunkin said Donaire could fight Arce but the Mexican showboat has already “priced himself out of the market” by asking asking for a purse of more than $1 million.

“I would love to fight Arce,” said Dunkin. “That would be a great fight, that would be a pay-per-view fight on demand because of the Mexican and Filipino fans. Then they can share the pay-per-view revenues on top of their guaranteed purse.”

Donaire, who retained his WBO super bantamweight title, said he didn’t have anybody in particular for his next foe.

“All of the above, I mean it’s free for all,” said the Filipino star, himself unsure of the impact his victory over Nishioka would have on PPV and fan acceptance. “Whoever wants to step up to the plate, let’s go.”

Still up in the air is a possible fight with Cuban Guillermo Rigondeux, or a rematch with Vic Darchinyan or a PPV match with Mexican WBC champ Abner Mares, who, unfortunately, still has a contract with Top Rank’s and HBO’s rivals Golden Boy Promotions and Showtime.

Hands down the busier boxer all evening, Donaire dominated CompuBox punchstats in outclassing his 36-year-old foe, who gave up his WBC belt and deferred his retirement just to fight the Philippine-born, United States-raised fighter.

Donaire threw a total of 485 punches and landed 134 of them, compared to Nishioka’s 199 punches that only 49 found their marks.

Fulfilling his promise not to seek a quick end through one-punch assaults, Donaire fired 239 jabs, hitting 23 times. He also launched 246 power punches and landed 111.

Nishioka, who absorbed his fourth loss in 37 fights, made 112 jabs and connected 23 of them. He also fired only 87 power punches and only made 26. He was busy in rounds that saw him dropping to the canvass because of Donaire’s well-timed counterattacks.