Exclusive Interview by Jenna J.: In my most recent edition of “On The Ropes” I had a chance to catch up with WBO/IBF Jr. Featherweight champion, Nonito Donaire. Donaire faces Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan, this Saturday, October 13 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Ca. The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark. In part one of this Interview, Donaire has plenty to say, ranging from his upcoming fight, Vic Darchinyan, being ranked amongst such greats as Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr and so much more.  Enjoy!  Part Two will debut soon.

Jenna Jay: Nonito, you got a big fight this upcoming weekend, how did training camp go for it?

Nonito Donaire: It’s been a great and amazing training camp for us, we’re ready and never before you know we’ve trained so hard for this for fight, we are physically, mentally, and spiritually just everything ready for this fight.

Jenna: What do you expect from your opponent Toshaiki Nishioka?

Donaire: I expect a lot of power and decent speed from Nishioka but I expect a lot of his experience to come into play you know when it gets tough. Nishioka #1 right now in this division you know I am trying to take that spot away from him, so this is going to be the best of the best in the division fighting for that spot. We’re excited for it, Nishioka has a lot to offer as a fighter he is a very tough guy and he is very crafty you know we have to be in our A game for this fight.

Jenna: In Nishioka’s last fight, he fought Rafael Marquez. What did you think of his performance?

Donaire: I actually I was there. I was one of the photographers for that fight, you know and you know he did great. Marquez is always a good fighter to fight, he is tough, he is strong, and very resilient you know. And Nishioka I thought did a great job, you know it was a closer fight in the beginning, but he pulled out of it in the end so you know he was deserving of that fight, but you know it was a good fight.

Jenna: Right now, most people have you in the top 5 p4p fighters in the world, up there is Mayweather, Pacquiao, Martinez & Ward. What does it mean to be among those fighters?

Donaire: It gives me a great honor, and it makes me work harder, it motivates me. But you know those are peoples opinion, and I am honored, but you know for me it comes down too the person in front of me in that ring, you know I just go with the flow, but it gives me great honor to be with those guys.

Jenna: Some people see your upcoming fight against Nishioka as high risk, low reward cause he’s not known well in America. How do you feel about that perception?

Donaire: You know for me, it’s all rewards for me you know, because HBO is putting this fight for the people watch, regardless that people don’t know who is, people will know he was #1, or that he was #1 in that division, and that I am here to take that spot away from him, regardless if he’s not as known. For me it’s the fight that I wanted, there is a lot more reward for me than risk. The risk is always going to be there for every fight, the fighter you fight, they’re always going to have the 2 hands, the intelligence, the speed, whoever it is, they all work hard, for me there is always going to be risk going to this fight, but for me its reward because this is the guy I want to fight.

Jenna: One of the few criticisms that people give you since you moved up in weight is that they don’t believe you carried your power up being that you did not KO your last two opponents, even though you did knock them down. Do you feel that your punch has as much impact at 122, as it did at the lower weight classes?

Donaire: I believe so, I mean you know the reason I am not getting the KO’s it’s because I am not crafty as I usually I am. The reason I KO guys out because they don’t see the punch coming. These guys are weary of my power, they defend themselves tightly, and it’s usually a turtle shell, and it’s hard to brake those turtle shells, all I know is that I dropped guys in this division, I mean in the last fight Methebula had to put two plates in his jaw, if a guy who never carries a power in this division, would never ever been able to do the things I did, not mentioning that I dropped my last 2 opponentsas well. I think the power is there, it’s just a matter of getting the right timing with it and that you don’t see it or expect it.

Jenna: Nonito, could you off ever of imagined back when you beat Vic Darchinyan, that you end up moving through the weight class all the way to being a champion at 122lbs?

Donaire: You know I never really thought about it actually. I never thought that I would be here, and even challenging my self to be in a different division, you know I thought that I would stay at 112 and see how things goes, but the more you become complacent the more percentage of you going down in the boxing world so I wanted to keep my self sharp and I wanted to challenge myself and finding myself deciding to go in the division going into different weight classes, and challenging the best in that weight class, so that’s how it pretty much went with me, it was a plan that wasn’t there back in 2007.

CONTINUE TO PART TWO:
Nonito Donaire Q&A: "Sparring Manny Pacquiao was an experience that really taught me how to fight a lefty" Jenna Jay

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