Availible in Tagalog
Boxing Herald recently caught up with the IBF/IBO Flyweight world champion, Nonito Donaire. Nonito is training hard these days preparing for his November 1st clash against Moruti Mthalane.
We had a nice conversation about his upcoming fight and some lighter topics about being a newly wed, his future plans in and out the ring and even his thoughts on a possible match versus Brian Villoria.
Topics covered within this interview varied from boxing to some of Nonito’s interests outside of the ring. I didn’t want to focus strictly on boxing because honestly I feel there’s so many other outlets out there that cover that already. I wanted to find out more about Nonito as a person and not just a fighter. Here’s a transcript of my discussion with Nonito Donaire. Enjoy.
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BOXING HERALD - We’re here with IBF and IBO Flyweight champion and 2007 knockout artist of the year, Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire. Champ, thanks for taking time out to do this interview.
NONITO DONAIRE – Not a prob man. It’s a pleasure … pleasure. Thank you.
BOXING HERALD – We haven’t seen you fight in a while. Tell us how you feel in terms of your conditioning, your mindset and your motivation coming into your November 1 match up.
NONITO DONAIRE – Well, a year… nearly a year, is a long time but we prepared for about 2 months for this fight. We’re ready. We want to shake off all the ring rust. Of course when you go in the ring it’s always different but we’ve prepared for the worst case scenario in case the guy proves to be tough or whatever, so we trained really hard for it.
BOXING HERALD – What can you take away from the last year which included a promoter change and a few other conflicts with your boxing career which seemed to be on a fast track pace after your beautiful knockout over Vic Darchinyan?
NONITO DONAIRE - I’ve learned a lot! I’ve learned a lot about how this game goes. Being with the right people now with Top Rank is great. As the year went by for me I’ve been getting a lot bigger and I’m getting a lot stronger. I’ve been watching a lot of fights and I’ve learned a lot from just watching it. I try to keep my mind sharp and be prepared for anything that’s going to happen.
BOXING HERALD – How have you prepared- without giving away too much strategy wise- against your upcoming South African opponent?
NONITO DONAIRE – I know that I have a lot of power. I know I’m a lot faster and I’ve never been out-boxed my whole life in boxing since my amateur days. I’ve never been out-boxed, and I just realized I have a lot of strength, a lot of power and all that. But from the way I am hitting now, I don’t think anybody can hit as hard as I can at the 112 division. All we just prepared mostly is to be in the best top shape for boxing. This guy comes in 100%. He can throw all the punches in the world in all the rounds. I want to be able to do that as well if he comes in to do that. We’ve done so much to focus on being in the best shape possible.
BOXING HERALD - Any predictions? Is it going to be another Knockout of the year candidate?
NONITO DONAIRE – (Laughing) I don’t know about knockout of the year but it would be really nice. One thing that I have to say is that when I go in there, I’m just like Pacquiao, I want a knockout. I want to fight the smartest fight if it’s not a knockout. I want to take him out if it’s as early as the first round then I will. I’m not going to play with him. I’m not going to try to do anything stupid. I’m just going to try and see if I could take him out as early as I can and I will.
BOXING HERALD - On a lighter note, I heard you just got married. Congratulations on that. (Nonito married former US junior Tae Kwon Do champion Rachel Marcial last 8/8/08.)
NONITO DONAIRE – Thank you, thank you very much.
BOXING HERALD - How are you enjoying married life?
NONITO DONAIRE – Actually it’s a lot easier for me now. I don’t have to worry about anything else. All of my stuff is done. She’s here with me. She’s done a lot for me actually. She’s worked with all the people I usually talked with. She takes my calls and sets a schedule for them so that way I don’t have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night or waking up in the middle of a nap to take interviews and stuff like that or schedule a meeting with other people or endorsements and stuff like that. She’s done a lot for me and she’s helping me out to reach my potential in this fight and for all my future fights.
BOXING HERALD - That sounds good. Sounds like a match made in heaven.
NONITO DONAIRE – Oh it is! It is. She fights herself. She’s a Tae Kwon Do black belt and she understands about losing weight, about stuff. Sometimes I can PMS too at times, lose so much weight and I confide on her and stuff like that but she takes it. I do apologize about that to her but she’s done so much for me and I’m going be 100% because of that too. That push, and everything else she’s done for me.
BOXING HERALD – Any plans for kids soon?
NONITO DONAIRE – I don’t know about kids. We said that we wanted to but we want to take the right path, the right way. The right path- if we’re financially stable then most likely, we want that. We both want it. It’s just that it has to be the right time.
BOXING HERALD – I tell you one thing, if you get a boy (or a girl too), he’s surely going to be another knockout artist too, It’s in the genes!
NONITO DONAIRE – (laughing) I hope so! All my family, from my grand parents to my great grand parents on both sides, have been fighters in boxing. So I’m hoping for that!
BOXING HERALD – By the way, when was your last visit back home in the Philippines? Any plans of coming home soon?
NONITO DONAIRE – There have been some plans already. They say after the fight, they’ll take us out there, do some shows and for me to just visit my family as well after. Yea, there have been some plans and the last time I was there was the last fight with Maldonado. They sent me out there and did some things, some shows, and visit my birth place in Gen. San and all that stuff.
BOXING HERALD – So you got the Pacquiao treatment huh?
NONITO DONAIRE – Yea, yea I mean, it was crazy man. Everybody was just all around, pushing people, pushing each other and I was like, Wow! This is crazy.
BOXING HERALD – Do you have any favorite R&R spots back home (for vacation or relaxation)?
NONITO DONAIRE – Well I haven’t really been out much aside from my place. We went to Boracay which was really nice and we’re planning to go out there. We went to Bohol and we did the snorkeling and all that stuff so it was really fun. We haven’t really visited what’s great out there. There’s so much more.
BOXING HERALD – How about your favorite Filipino dishes? Do you have any favorites?
NONITO DONAIRE – I know how to cook caldereta. I know how to cook adobo. I’ve learned how to cook Filipino dishes and they’re not bad when I cook them.
BOXING HERALD – We didn’t know you can cook too.
NONITO DONAIRE – I cook my own food. My wife tries to cook for me but it’s just that I have my own texture when I eat my food. I’m picky. So I usually cook my own stuff. It has to be the right texture. It has to be the right taste. It has to have the right amount of this and that so you know… (laughing)
BOXING HERALD – Not just a perfectionist in the ring, also in the kitchen huh?
NONITO DONAIRE – Everything man! (laughing) I want everything the right way so my body feels good for me. I want to do that.
BOXING HERALD – On a different note, a lot of Filipino boxing fans have been wanting to see a fight between you and another Fil-Am boxer in Brian Villoria especially after that interview got leaked on Youtube. Do you know what I’m talking about?
NONITO DONAIRE – Yea, yea! (laughing) The reason for that was because I was pissed. I was already in training and everything. I was hot-headed and then I get this call “hey! He’s calling you out, he’s calling you out” (Villoria). And I was like “WHAT?!?!” At this time? After all this time I’ve been calling him out and stuff like that. Then I stopped calling him out after his dad came up to us and was like “you know what we’re Filipinos…. We should just work well together” so I was like alright, then I stopped calling him out after that. Then a year after or a year or two after, I become a world champion then he went on a downfall then he starts calling me out. I mean, it’s part of business but I had to say what I had to say you know and it might’ve been a little bit rough but…yeah… he’s a great fighter, I have nothing against him. He’s a great fighter. It was purely emotion, sometimes my emotion leaks out and that w as during the fight but he’s a great fighter. I have nothing bad to say about him.
BOXING HERALD – So on the record there’s no animosity between Nonito Donaire and Brian Villoria.
NONITO DONAIRE – (laughing) No. Actually, when we see each other before we say “what’s up” and we usually talk and everything. It was just recently when I got to the top when it got weird.
BOXING HERALD – So is there any chance that you guys will actually face on top of the ring?
NONITO DONAIRE – Honestly, we’re both with Top Rank and anything is possible in boxing. You see a lot of Mexicans fighting Mexicans. You’ll see Filipino fighting Filipino in the future out here. And if Bob Arum and them, make it happen that’s fine with me, I don’t really care. I’ll fight anybody and I’ve stated that over and over but I would rather fight the best out there. And I don’t feel he’s the best right now. That’s not an exciting fight for me. I’m at the top level. I’m not going to say that I’m going to look for money, I am looking for money- it’s part of what I’m here for- but I want to fight the best to prove myself and I still have a lot to prove.
BOXING HERALD – How’s you relationship with your Filipino boxing fans? You’re a classy and articulate champion who’s a great representative for our country, and especially now that Pacquiao is on the way out- you can be the torch carrier.
NONITO DONAIRE – I don’t know about being the torch carrier. That’s a lot of weight on my shoulders and everybody else’s shoulders. Pacquiao.. There’ll never be another Pacquiao! I’ll say that. He’s his own champion. He’s made his own legacy. I’ll do my best to make my own path and I have my own path in life and in boxing. Maybe I’ll get another chance to fight for another belt. I’ll do my best, that’s all I can really do- do my best and represent the Philippines that we’re great fighters, that we’re great champions and people will love us because of our personality and because of our talents in the ring.
BOXING HERALD – Very well said. Not to look past your November 1 match-up, what’s next for Nonito Donaire? Is a rematch with Darchinyan possible? Or is there anybody out there you want to face?
NONITO DONAIRE – Actually for this fight I wanted Darchinyan but they asked for so much money so it never happened. It never materialized in contract or anything like that. If they make it possible where they’re not asking too much, then Darchinyan is a big possibility. But of course there are other champions more worthy than him. The only reason why I would want to fight him is because he always runs his mouth saying it’s a lucky punch, and for me, I can do it again. I know I can do it again. There’s Mijares, there’s Montiel, there’s Arce out there. Those are the guys that I’m really, really going after because those fighters are true champions. I have a lot of respect for those guys, they have a lot of respect for other fighters as well and they bring it out without saying much.
BOXING HERALD – And lastly, do you have anything to say to your fans, especially for your fans from the Philippines?
NONITO DONARE – You know what, one thing I can say is that it’s been quite a while- almost a year- and finally came a chance for this. I’m blessed for this moment, a chance to be with Top Rank and all that stuff. And one thing I can give you guys is that I’m going to do everything all that I can, to be exciting, to represent the Philippines. To bring glory as much as Pacquiao does, hopefully I get all your support as well. One thing is that, all the Filipino fighters including myself will do our best to win and represent our country, not only outside the ring, inside the ring as well. And of course I would like to thank you guys for everything you have done for me, for supporting me and always being there. Just tell them, thank you so much for all the support and help.
BOXING HERALD – That’s it man! Thank you. You’re a classy guy, a classy person, not just inside the ring, but outside the ring and it’s a pleasure for me man. Thanks Nonito!
NONITO DONAIRE – Thank you, thank you.
