By Ryan Songalia 
 
The training camp of a professional boxer is hard enough when things are going well - endless miles logged on lonely, pre-dawn runs; bruising rounds of sparring that deduct years off a fighter's prime; abstinence from delicious foods, alcohol and other pleasures.

Now try making those same sacrifices when all sense purpose and urgency has been sucked out of you.
 
Like a disenchanted soldier in a war he does not understand, Nonito Donaire makes no secret of his difficulties to motivate himself for his next challenge - a showdown with Mexican Hernan Marquez this Saturday, July 10 at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan (televised by Showtime, 9 PM EST).
 
"There's no drive for me," says the WBA's interim super flyweight titlist Donaire, 23-1 (15 KO). "The reason that I trained really hard is because I have a lot of respect for my fans and my team. They all believe in me and I can't have those selfish thoughts."
 
Though Marquez possesses an impressive record of 27-1 (20 KO), the majority of the Sonora, Mexico native's wins have come against anonymous opposition in his home country. In his most recent fight, Marquez lost a one-sided decision to light-punching Filipino Richie Mepranum.
 
Yet while the rest of the world - and perhaps even Donaire himself - is counting out "Tyson" Marquez, he continues to display the unaffected resolve that has enabled compatriots like Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. to walk through fire.
 
"I understand the position I am [in]," said Marquez, aged 21. "I am not the favorite so I've had a lot of pressure since we signed the fight with Donaire and in return it has given me a great motivation and security in myself. I will go into the ring that night against Donaire to win."
 
The sky seemed to be the limit for "The Filipino Flash" after scoring Ring Magazine's "Knockout of the Year" and "Upset of the Year" for 2007 by knocking out previously undefeated flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan in five rounds. Instead of headlining super-fights, Donaire has had to contend with the frustration of anti-climax.
 
After fighting just once in 2008 and a nondescript 2009, 2010 looked like it would be his breakout year. A long-awaited rematch with Darchinyan seemed to be set in stone for August. When Donaire walked into promoter Top Rank's Las Vegas office to sign off on the mega bout, he was informed that the fight was off.
 
When Jorge Arce withdrew from a clash with WBO interim bantamweight champion Eric Morel, Donaire hoped to pinch-hit for his stablemate. Morel declined the offer, opting instead to travel to Mexico to face Fernando Montiel in his hometown.
 
Having trained non-stop since March for fights that have failed to materialize, Donaire found himself both physically and emotionally drained.
 
"My mind was like, 'Man, forget about it.' I've gotten to the point where for a couple of years I've wanted to fight the best. It's hard to find that little motivation. It's there but it's not like when I fought Darchinyan."
 
Win, lose or draw, Donaire and team say that the Marquez fight will be his last at 115 pounds. The 5-foot-6 Donaire admits that he simply can no longer squeeze his frame into the unnaturally low weight class, necessitating an ascent in weight to bantamweight and its 118 pound limit.
 
"I honestly feel that there's nobody for him at 115," says Roberto Garcia, who co-trains Donaire alongside Jonathan Penalosa. "Not only for that reason but also for his own health, I told him that this should be his last fight at 115."
 
The bantamweight division has grown in popularity in the past year, riding the mometum of crowd-pleasing fights that have benefited from national television exposure.
 
 Colombian Yonnhy Perez is the division's most exciting star at the moment. His two most recent bouts - a decision win over Joseph Agbeko and a draw with Abner Mares - have both been "Fight of the Year" candidates. Unbeaten at 20-0 (14 KO), the 31-year-old IBF titlist would provide Donaire's stiffest test at 118.
 
Then there is stablemate Montiel, who is heavily-favored to dispatch Morel on July 17. Montiel, who holds the WBO and WBC titles, has been one of the sport's most understated stars over the last decade. A win over Montiel would go a long way towards silencing critics of Ring Magazine's decision to rank Donaire as number 4 on its "Pound for Pound" list - just behind Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez.
 
Another dream match for Donaire would be former bantamweight and junior featherweight champ Rafael Marquez, who recently ended an extended layoff to dispatch arch rival Israel Vasquez in three rounds. Negotiations for that and the Perez fight could be tricky since both are aligned with Gary Shaw Promotions, whom Donaire split acrimoniously with in 2008.
 
"I think Montiel is the easiest of all the guys to get a fight with because we're in the same promotion," said Donaire. "I know Montiel wants to make the fight happen. I think it's the people behind him that are stalling.
 
"I think that the past few years were learning experiences for me. It's time for me to step up and challenge everybody out there." -RS
 
Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and a contributor to GMANews.TV. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com . An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryansongalia .