Ni Nick Giongco
BINALEWALA ni Pinoy champion Nonito Donaire ang mga pahayag na liyamado si Japanese knockout king Naoya “Monster” Inoue sa kanilang duwelo sa November 7 sa Saitama.
“I know that Naoya Inoue is the favorite due to his youth. But, I have a lot of determination to reverse the odds, and for that I will fully dedicate myself to the maximum level with my physical preparations,” pahayag ni Donaire sa ginanap na press conference kamakailan sa Tokyo, ayon sa ulat ng boxingscene.
Agusan del Sur, nilindol ng magnitude 5.3
Ang nakatakdang 12-round fight ay ang final match para sa World Boxing Super Series na nagtatampok sa pinakamahuhusay na bantamweights sa mundo. Iginiit ni Donaire na laban kay Inoue “will force me to bring out all of my qualities as a boxer.”
Ang 36-anyos na si Donaire ang World Boxing Association champion, habang si Inoue, 26, ang kampeon sa International Boxing Federation.
“I feel very motivated and incredibly excited and exciting to jump into a fight with Naoya Inoue in Japan, which is a beautiful country that has educated me spiritually," sambit ni Donaire, naging kampeon din sa flyweight, super-bantam at featherweight.
Tangan ni Donaire ang 40-5 karta, kabilang ang 26 KO, sa paglaban sa Saitama Super Arena, habang hawak ni Inoue ang 18-0 marka, tampok ang 16 KOs.
“We are both gifted fighters with speed and power and intelligence. The one who commits the first mistake in the ring, he will lose. I can tell you that this fight could be long like a game of chess," ayon kay Donaire.
Sa kanyang career, napalaban at nanaig si Donaire sa matitikas na fighters ng kanyang henerasyon tulad nina Vic Darchinyan at Jorge Arce.
Tinanghal ng The Ring magazine ang laban ni Donaire bilang KO of the Year for 2007 (kontra Darchinyan) at 2011 ( laban kay Fernando Montiel) at napili siya ng Boxing Writers Association of America bilang Fighter of the Year noong 2012.
