Not one to refuse a good fight, Nonito Donaire, Jr. is accepting the challenge of Vic Darchinyan’s camp for a much-delayed rematch next year. Donaire said he’ll easily sign on for a return engagement against his one-time victim as soon as Team Darchinyan make good on their "public posturing" to make the fight happen.
The “Filipino Flash" and the Australian “Raging Bull" first locked mitts in December 2007 with the underdog Donaire hacking out a fifth round TKO win over the then undefeated IBO and IBF flyweight champion.
Clamor for a second gig reached fever pitch after that fight, which was awarded the “Upset of the Year" and “Knockout of the Year" by Ring Magazine, but it did not materialize and the protagonists went their separate ways. The two camps also accused the other of throwing a wrench to negotiations for that prospective rematch.
“They had the contract for the rematch to happen right off a month or two or three after but they avoided me for the longest time," Donaire wrote in his blog for his official Filipino Flash website.
“Now they want to call me and like always, I’m never gonna refuse a good fight. That’s just funny to me. I guess they’ve been talking and talking and talking and calling me out and they had all the possibilities to make it happen. I was there and they could’ve made it happen."
He challenged Darchinyan’s group headed by promoter Gary Shaw to seal the bout this time and promised to immediately come on board.
“You make the fight happen, I'll show up; you give me the date, I’ll show up; I’ll train for it…There’s no need to talk. I mean I’m not the type to talk crap about anyone but if you really wanna make the fight happen, let's make it happen," said Donaire, who used to be promoted by Shaw until their falling out.
Donaire and Darchinyan are now both campaigning in the super-flyweight division with Donaire holding the WBA interim title and Darchinyan carrying the WBC and WBA Super World crowns.
Darchinyan is set to defend his titles against Mexican Tomas Rojas on Dec. 12 at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California and should he prevail, Shaw said they would work for a second outing with Donaire.
The 27-year-old Donaire is penciled to defend his belt on Feb. 13 in “Pinoy Power 3" but his challenger is yet to be finalized. It was initially announced that Mexican Gerson Guerrero would be vying for Donaire’s plum but negotiations apparently bogged down.
Donaire, who’s already started training for his next fight, is raring to get an A-list opponent.
“They (promoters) have given me a name but it’s not for sure. They’ve given me another name but they aren’t sure. They tell me this guy’s afraid of me or they are asking too much money which is kinda the same thing. I don’t know, I’m here to fight. I’m here to show my skills and show how far I’ve gone in boxing and if I do belong in the pound for pound listing," said Donaire, No. 6 in Ring's P4P list. - GMANews.TV
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