BoxingScene.com
Glenn Donaire (right) and his father Nonito Sr. celebrate after their last win. (Team Donaire)
Glenn “Filipino Bomber” Donaire (19-4-1, 10 KOs) has injured his left knee and has pulled out of a June 15 Telemundo main event against Daniel Lozano (11-0, 8 KOs).
“I was supposed to defend my belt in Florida,” the regional flyweight titleholder said. “It would have been a good fight, and I was training hard, but I got hurt. I was doing my sprints running up a hill, and then I was jogging back down the hill I just felt something twist. It hurt so bad. When I got home, it got swollen for three or four days.”
A trip to the doctor confirmed his concerns. “He examined my knee, and he said nothing was torn, but there was some major swelling. He told me not to do anything for two weeks, so I couldn’t go through with the fight,” Donaire added. “I’ll probably be back to 100 percent by August. I can move around in the ring a little bit, but I can’t run.”
In the meantime, he touched on a few subjects, namely his dream fight that would vindicate his comeback from a three-year layoff—a move back down to 108 pounds to face explosive WBA junior flyweight titlist Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez of Nicaragua (32-0, 27 KOs).
“If there’s nobody that wants to fight him, I’ll fight him,” Donaire said. “I don’t run from nobody. The guys he fought are scared of him. They go down in their mind before he’s even hit them. If you don’t know how to move with him, you’re done, because he can really punch. But I want that fight if he’s listening. I can go down to 108. I hope he picks me, and if not, I’ll fight anyone.”
Before his injury, Donaire was getting some quality sparring at the Kennel Gym in his hometown of San Leandro, Calif., from a pair of Filipino bantamweights, Glenn Porras (27-3, 17 KOs) and Jundy Maraon (14-0-1, 11 KOs), both of whom train with his father, Nonito Sr.
In addition, Olympic Trials light flyweight champion Eros Correa from nearby San Jose has given Donaire a few rounds and has definitely caught the pro’s attention.
“That kid’s going to be a good pro one day,” Donaire said. “He has a big right hand a lot of heart. He kind of reminds me of my brother [Nonito Jr.] a little bit how he was in the amateurs, with that in-and-out [movement]. He’s real smooth, real quick.”
Nonito Jr. has a big fight of his own to look forward to on July 7, a junior featherweight unification battle with Jeffrey Mathebula. Older brother Glenn gave his take.
“I haven’t seen any film on [Mathebula], but if you can’t catch my brother in the first round, forget it,” he said. “Good fighters don’t get hit. Look at Nonito. And if you can’t match Nonito’s speed, you’re done for. Speed kills, like when I watch Andre Ward. With his handspeed, he can beat you with one hand. Great fighters can wear you down with that speed.”
All this talk about the sweet science has made Glenn anxious to get back in the gym.
“You know, it’s funny, but sometimes I shake with excitement when I see good fighters do their thing,” Donaire said. “I’m so into this. I didn’t have this same enthusiasm about boxing when I was younger. This is a new me. It just makes me want to get back out there and start preparing for my next challenge. Watch out for me. I’ll be back.”
Norcalboxing.net's Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his weekly column for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, his archive for BoxingScene.com, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
*This is a legal waiver. By copying and using the material from this article, you agree to give full credit to Norcalboxing.net or provide a link to the original article.
No comments:
Post a Comment