By Mitch Abramson
 
Nonito Donaire discussed his relationship with Manny Pacquiao during a workout for the media, describing what he’s learned from his fellow countryman, about the time they sparred nearly a decade ago, and how Pacquiao has made it a little easier for Filipino fighters to gain a foothold in the industry.

“I believe that Manny has been a big part of my success,” Donaire told BoxingScene. “I was inspired by him. Manny was one of the inspirations because he’s Filipino and at the moment back in 2000, I would try and seek managers, and they would say, ‘I’m sorry kid, you’re not Mexican’ or, ‘I’m sorry kid, but you’re not Latino. I’m sorry kid, you don’t speak Spanish.’ And it’s always been that way and Manny has opened that door for me and given me the opportunities. So I’m always going to be thankful to him.”

Donaire described Pacquiao as a “friend,” going back to 2001 when the two used to “karaoke a lot,” in Donaire’s words. When it came to the sweet science, Pacquiao gave Donaire some pointers on how to fight lefties, and how to “fight smart” in the ring.

“That boy can Karaoke all day,” Donaire said with a smile. “We’d have a few drinks here and there but the life was really simple back then and it was incredible the way he was and the way he is and the way he’s gonna be. I’ll always support Manny. He’ll always be a friend.”

Rather than try and emulate the success of Pacquiao, be it in the ring or as a crossover star, Donaire says he admires his countryman but that he has to carve out his own legacy.

“I aspire to be the best of what I can be,” Donaire said. “That’s one thing that I’ve learned in boxing. I always seek to challenge the best out there. I want to see who can beat me. I want to see how far I can get. I want to see what weight I can get. That’s the glory of it. The more you try, the more you’ll see how far you can get. The more your star is going to shine brighter when you try. At the end of it all, I hope to see that light closer. But I just want to do my best. It can be big like Manny, or it can be right now.”

The two actually sparred back in 2001 at the Wildcard Boxing Gym in L. A. Donaire was an 18-year-old 108-pounder while Pacquiao was at 122 pounds, training for his bout with Ledwaba. After the sparring, Pacquiao told Donaire’s father that his son “had a lot of potential,” Donaire said.

So, how did he do in the sparring session?

“I did pretty well, actually,” Donaire said. “I’m a pretty tricky fighter, because I’ve had experience in the amateur level and with my speed it was on par with his speed so I did pretty well in that sparring. But I didn’t go beyond that.”

Mitch Abramson covers boxing for the New York Daily News and BoxingScene.com.

Tags: Manny Pacquiao , Nonito Donaire