By Ronnie Nathanielsz
WBA super flyweight interim champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire is ready to begin sparring at the Undefeated Gym in San Carlos, California on Tuesday.
Donaire said his manager Cameron Dunkin was sending two sparring partners and he was eager to get going.
Donaire faces hard-hitting Mexican Gerson Guerrero who has a record of 34-8 with 26 knockouts and is coming off a 10th round TKO win over Enrique Quevedo in a WBC super flyweight eliminator where the vacant North American Boxing Federation title was also at stake.
Donaire who sports a record of 22-1 with 14 knockouts said he’s been told that Guerrero “is very strong and he comes forward” which means that he would have to move and use the jab effectively.
Donaire said he will have former world champion Robert Garcia in his corner for the February 13 fight which will headline the “Pinoy Power III” fight card at the Las Vegas Hilton which will be telecast in the Philippines by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN.
He said Jonathan Penalosa who helped prepare him for his previous fight against Rafael Concepcion was already in his training camp even as Donaire said he was right now “feeling pretty good.”
Also seeing action in the exciting card will be former two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa (54-7-2, 36 KO’s) who will clash with another former two division champion Eric Morel (41-2, 21 KO’a) in a WBO bantamweight title eliminator, Ciso “Kid Terrible” Morales (14-0, 8 KO’s) takes on WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel (39-2-2, 29 KO’s) in a title fight, Bernabe Concepcion (27-3-1, 15 KO’s) battles Puerto Rican southpaw Mario Santiago (21-1-1, 14 KO’s) .
Promising welterweight Mark Jason Melligen, a southpaw from the ALA Gym who trains with Tony Martin in Las Vegas at the Mayweather gym is the latest addition to the fight card. Melligen (16-2, 12 KO’s) faces a formidable opponent in former WBO super featherweight champion Mike “The Powerful” Anchondo (30-2, 19 KO’s) in an eight round encounter.
Boxing writer Thomas Gerbasi in a story on boxingscene.com quoted Anchondo as saying “It’s gonna be colorful but win, lose or draw they’ll not keep me down and I will get the championship back. I’m gonna avenge my losses and I think this is going to be a great run.”