By Jake Donovan
Nicholas ‘Axe Man’ Walters is more than 2,700 miles away from his home in Montego Bay, Jamaica, but couldn’t feel more comfortable in his surroundings during fight week in Carson, California.
The unbeaten featherweight is in town to face four-division champ Nonito Donaire in what many experts deem as a pick-‘em fight. Should the fight play to the scouting report, it should make for great theatre at the StubHub Center, which has gained a reputation through the years as a venue where magic tends to happen in the boxing ring.
Serving as additional motivation is the possibility of stealing the show from the evening’s headliner. Gennady Golovkin makes his West Coast debut, as he defends his middleweight belt versus Mexico’s Marco Antonio Rubio. Both bouts will air live on HBO, playing in front of a sold-out arena.
“Fighting here and on HBO makes you want to push harder for a great fight, and give the fans what they have paid to see,” Walters (24-0, 20KOs) notes. “It’s been a dream of mine since I began boxing to want to fight on HBO, and now my chance comes in a big fight. I know Nonito is going to bring it, and I can’t wait for Saturday night to show the world that I am the best featherweight in the world.”
Walters had to wait his turn before getting to this point, as getting the top featherweights in the world with him has proven to be a tricky proposition.
His first title shot was delayed when Celestino Caballero opted to vacate a title rather than face the dangerous puncher, his mandatory challenger at the time in 2012. The motive behind the move was Cabellero’s displeasure with the purse offering - $90,000, as per the terms of a $120,000 purse bid won by Walters’ handlers to promote the fight in Jamaica, just his second fight at home as he spent most of his career fighting in Panama while with trainer Jacques Deschamps.
Walters would eventually receive his first title shot, steamrolling Daulis Prescott to the tune of three knockdowns en route to a 7th round knockout win. The title-winning effort placed Walters on a short list of Jamaica-born fighters to claim championship status, and the first ever to do so in his homeland.
The feat was doubly rewarding as it coincided with the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence. Gifts were bestowed upon him by his countryman and local government, including a new car. What wasn’t given to him was much of a chance to capitalize on the win.
Sensing the need for a more secure route to ring activity, Walters signed with Top Rank last September.
“Bob Arum promised me that I would get big fights, and the chance to become a star in the featherweight division,” reveals Walters, whose father ‘Smoking’ Job Walters was a respected featherweight journeyman in the late 1980s. “Nonito Donaire is a big fight. I like fighting at this level.
“To be the best, you have to beat the best, and I plan to beat all of the best featherweights Bob Arum and Top Rank can give me. All of the best fighters are here, and I want all of the best.”
The move came at the right time, as the Las Vegas-based promoter has since collected nearly all of the featherweight hardware, with Jhonny Gonzalez the division’s only titlist not under Top Rank’s banner. Vasyl Lomachenko joined Walters, Donaire and Evgeny Gradovich in the company’s featherweight title circle after beating Gary Russell Jr. in their vacant title fight in June.
Upon Walters’ signing, Top Rank revealed plans to begin staging a series of featherweight belts in 2014 that would lead to one true king in the division. Walters’ debut under the Top Rank banner came last November, scoring a 4th round knockout of Alberto Garza in Corpus Christi, Texas. On that same show, Donaire struggled, requiring a come-from-behind rally to stop Vic Darchinyan in the 9th round of their non-title fight.
The two appeared on the same card in Macau this past May, this time with far more at stake. Walters was given the perceived easier task of the two, defending his belt versus Darchinyan, who was rewarded for valiance in defeat. Donaire was assigned the task of trying to unseat Simpiwe Vetyeka, who had just dusted off Chris John to win his portion of the featherweight crown late last year.
The plan was for wins by both to set up the collision that takes place this weekend. Of course, planning on such a fight, and making it happen are two different things, as Walters has come to learn.
“I give Nonito Donaire credit for taking this fight; I’m a little surprised that he accepted the challenge after how he’s looked in his past few fights,” admits Walters, who had the benefit of sitting ringside for Donaire’s technical decision win over Vetyeka. By the time the fight began, Walters had already destroyed Darchinyan in five rounds and gained buzz as perhaps the most dangerous featherweight on the planet.
Even with Donaire winning his bout, and the two sharing the same sanctioning body’s title, it came as a pleasant surprise that both sides were able to make the fight happen. What won’t shock Walters is to see the 31-year old titlist reach back and revert to the form that netted him 2012 Fighter of the Year honors.
“Nonito has the heart of a champion. So I know he’s raised his level in training and will raise his level in the ring,” Walters believes, speaking from experience. “Every fight, I am always at 100%. But I know to push myself harder in the gym when I know a big fight is ahead of me. Nonito didn’t look very sharp against Vetyeka, but he knows he has to be at his best shape against me.
“That’s how I train—for the very best. I hold myself to a high standard. So when I get in the ring, I make it look easy.”
There’s been little evidence of struggle on the way up the ranks for Walters, other than a couple of knockdowns earlier in his career. Only four of his 24 opponents to date have managed to hear the final bell, the last being Hector Javier Marquez who went into survival mode in their March ’12 bout.
Four straight knockouts have followed, taking place in four separate countries. Saturday’s bout marks just his second career fight in the United States. The winner could very well go on to face Lomachenko, who first defends his title next month in Macau.
Big plans are in store for Top Rank’s featherweights. A win on Saturday could mark the starting point of Walters running the tables and propelling to worldwide superstar status. He already has the fan-friendly style and highlight reel wins. A couple of big wins puts his game on the global market, though never far enough from home to forget who he is and whom he represents.
“I’m always proudly sporting the Jamaica colors, and it’s an honor to represent Jamaica as a world champion,” said Walters. “I also fight for all of my fans in Panama that I’ve made in my years there. No matter where I fight, I give it 100% for everyone I represent.
“It doesn’t matter where in the world I am, I will always be the people’s champion.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
