Nishioka relishes clash with Donaire

IF NONITO Donaire Jr. believes his title bout against Toshiaki Nishioka is “the biggest fight” of his life, well the feeling is mutual.

On the lookout for a spectacular fight to fittingly cap his impressive career, the 36-year-old Nishioka says he didn’t want to fight anybody less than Donaire.

In a recent interview with boxinginsider.com, the Japanese champion Nishioka said that though it has been a year since he last stepped on the ring, he has been keeping himself fit just in case he comes across a fight against the 29-year-old Filipino.

“After I fought Rafael Marquez, I wanted to fight somebody who will motivate me,” Nishioka (39-4-3 with 24 KOs) told the website. “Donaire is a fighter who is one of the top names on pound-for-pound list and a figure in the sport.”

“That’s the kind of fighter I wanted to face. At this point of my career, I didn’t want to just defend my title with anybody. That’s why I gave up my regular title to be Emeritus champion so that I wasn’t forced to defend the title,” added Nishioka, who lost his WBC belt for refusing to fight.

Nishioka, the southpaw who is regarded as one of the best at 122 lb with his calculating style and fearsome left, added that he hopes his Oct. 13 title fight for Donaire’s IBF and WBO super bantamweight belts at Home Depot Center in Carson, California would help the boxing bodies get recognition in Japan.