NEW YORK CITY—Shedding just a few more pounds is the only thing that concerns Nonito Donaire Jr. who fights unbeaten Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux in a world super bantamweight title unification bout Saturday (Sunday morning in Manila) at Radio City Music Hall here.
The Filipino Flash was beaming and all smiles as he arrived with an entourage of several security men and supporters at the swanky Mendez Gym in Manhattan Tuesday.
“I feel good,” he said as reporters began to mill around him. “We’re just gonna try to make the weight that’s pretty much what we have to worry about; there’s a lot things in training camp, mainly to get in shape, if it gets tough, if it gets rough I will be ready for it.”
The WBO champion Donaire (31-1-0 with 20 knockouts) is still five pounds above the 122-lb limit for the fight against the WBA titlist Rigondeaux.
He started his workout by clowning around and making showgirl dance moves before impersonating—as in his previous workouts before the media—the signature stances of the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and even his stablemate Brandon Rios.
Rigondeaux (11-0-0 with 8 KOs) took his turn an hour earlier in business-like fashion. He worked on the mitts, heavy bag, speed ball and jumped rope.
At one point, he even somersaulted in the ring to the delight of the big throng of journalists.
“My motivations are at an all-time high,” Rigondeaux later said through an interpreter. “I was working very hard in training camp I’m 300 percent in shape for this fight. I am in my best shape ever and this is the biggest fight of my career.”
Rigondeaux lamented that people knock his lack of experience at the professional level without mentioning that he won a world championship in just a few fights.
“He (Donaire) can be 10-to-1 to 20-to-1 (favorite) who cares, that doesn’t mean anything to me. I can fight any which way he wants,” added Rigondeaux, who has fellow Cuban superstar Joel Casamayor in his team, aside from Pedro Diaz, who guided him to two Olympic gold medals and World championships.
“He is a dangerous fighter,” said Donaire. “But then again this is his biggest opportunity, and with big opportunity there’s risk. “I’m that risk. I’m the biggest risk out there in this division.”