Donaire vs. Cazares is Being Explored By Bob Arum
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
IBF flyweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” has begun training for a planned fight at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on August 22.
Donaire said his promoter Bob Arum was looking at a possible WBA Interim title fight against Mexico ’s Hugo Cazares who is ranked No.1 super flyweight behind champion Vic Darchinyan. Darchinyan is moving up in weight and will battle IBF bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko in Sunrise , Florida on July11.
Donaire said the Cazares interim title fight was a fallback since “Carita” Lopez was playing hard to get.
The 31 year old southpaw Cazares has a record of 29-6-1 with 21 knockouts and is the WBA Fedelatin champion. He won the title with a unanimous eleven round decision over Roberto Vasquez last March 24. Cazares dropped Vasquez in the first and second rounds but was himself decked in the eighth.
Cazares lost twice to WBO light flyweight champion Ivan Calderon. The first was by a twelve round split decision on August 25, 2007 and in the rematch on August 30, 2008 Cazares lost by a seventh round technical decision.
Boxing writer Brad Marchetti described Cazares as a boxer-puncher who even as a light flyweight was known to be around 126 pounds at fight time.
Marchetti said Cazares “has shotguns in both gloves and is also a switch hitter that is very aggressive with his awesome combination punching and is a fighter with a huge heart.”
Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports “I feel he (Donaire) is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world so I am not surprised by the names that have turned him down.”
Donaire said he is now training at the Undisputed Boxing Gym in San Carlos , California and is working with a new conditioning trainer Mike Bassel. Donaire said that while the routine was demanding he said the results were “very good” and it would enhance his “explosiveness.” Donaire added, “I’m going to be dangerous .”
He said his training regimen was also helping get his body strengthened and indicated that he would soon begin plyometrics which Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao adopted under conditioning expert Alex Ariza. This turned him into an awesome fighter who demolished David Diaz in nine rounds, pulverized Oscar De La Hoya who quit at the end of eight and scored a brutal 2nd round knockout over Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton last May 2.
Donaire said he planned to have former two-division world champion Dodie Boy Penalosa and brother Jonathan Penalosa to join him in his US training camp.
