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Nonito Donaire -- PART 1!
[Exclusive Interview]
By Ace Freeman
In PART ONE of this two part exclusive interview, IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire catches up with the FightFans to reflect on 2007. Check out what the 'Filipino Flash' had to say about his KO win over Vic Darchinyan and how Ring Magazine will honour him with awards for KO of the Year and Upset of the Year. All this and more, only on FightFan.com!
December 16, 2007
FF: FightFan.com here with the ‘Filipino Flash’ Nonito Donaire. Nonito, thanks for taking the time to talk with the FightFans, tell us about 2007 for you…It was quite a year…
ND: It was a group effort; we really worked hard on having a great year. My manager and promoter did their thing and I trained as hard as I did. My coach and my corner really pushed me to do everything I could. I was blessed with all the opportunities I had this year and am fortunate I was able to make good on them.
FF: Let’s go back for a second to earlier this year when you were preparing for the Vic Darchinyan fight. It was your going to be your 18th professional fight and the IBF world title was on the line. How did you approach that fight in training?
ND: A lot of it had to do with the goal of becoming a world champion and how hard I worked. It was very motivating because I didn’t want to lose to a guy like him, and what I mean by that is, he was a great fighter but his demeanor and attitude towards me, my family and team Donaire were not good. He attacked us and made me not want to lose to a guy like that. If he was going to beat me, I was going to be in there to give it my all and it wouldn’t have been easy.
FF: So some of the things he was saying before the fight were very motivating for you?
ND: Oh yeah. He was saying he was going to knock me out and do this and that. He made me very angry and I fought angry in the ring. I wanted to take him out. It wasn’t about winning or losing in my head, it was about hurting him. That was the game plan that I came in there with. I was very relaxed in my approach and didn’t let anything distract me. All of my focus was him, and beating him.
FF: You seem to be a guy who has a very tight defensive stance. Were you surprised when the fight started at how easy you seemed to make him miss wildly?
ND: No, actually my dad and my coach planned it all out. Even before the fight, we knew there were things he was going to do. His movements are redundant. He does the same thing over and over, and we knew if we came out knowing his movements we’d be at an advantage. We knew what punches were coming with what movements he made and we just figured him out. We weren’t surprised at all that I could see his punches coming, and I was able to land the punches we’d practiced in the gym; we did it all in the gym.
FF: You saw early on in the fight how he was leaping in with those shots, and it seemed like as a few rounds went by you started to look to time him. Was it going through your head that you were eventually going to catch him as hard as you did?
ND: In the interview before the fight I was asked the same question and I said when my punches land it will be the end of the fight. Like I said, we studied him and we knew what he was going to do. We knew we were going to win that fight because he’s always the same with what he does. We went in there and made it happen.
FF: Tell us about the KO punch in that fight Nonito. What did it feel like when it landed?
ND: Actually, the Ring Magazine just called me today and said I won Upset and Knockout of the Year. I was quite honored to hear that because not everybody gets those kinds of awards, especially from the Ring Magazine.
FF: Let me be the first to congratulate you, that is well deserved.
ND: Thank you very much. Like I said, he throws looping punches and there’s no defence. Like a bull, he is just so intent on hitting his target, that’s all he wants to do. I was slightly faster than he was and every movement he made was predictable. We knew what was coming and we waited until the moment came.
FF: That was a shocking win and you seemed to really catch the attention of the boxing world after it. How did life change for you after winning that fight in dramatic fashion?
ND: Oh man, my life has been turned upside down. In the Philippines, it’s like I’m a big celebrity over there. It’s really crazy and I feel so blessed. There are a lot of people looking to work with me, endorsements and what not. I’m helping out my parents a lot more now which feels really good. There have been a lot of changes and I feel very blessed. My family is behind me no matter what and I’m happy about that.
FF: Tell us about the love you get when you head home to the Philippines. Boxing has exploded there in recent years with Manny Pacquiao and a team of brilliant young fighters like yourself. Having seen how popular boxing is there, can you try and describe what it’s like to the folks over here in North America?
ND: The Philippines itself doesn’t get a lot of recognition internationally or as a race of people in the big picture. So when the time comes where someone is able to step into the spotlight and become known to the world the people take advantage in a good way and really get behind it. They are very very proud of the boxers and I am proud to say I have some of that support. It is such an honour and a pleasure to feel some of that support. It has really made me who I am and has given me the courage to fight hard.
When I go over to the Philippines, especially now, the media and the whole country recognize me, whether it’s walking in the mall or out on the street seeing the people. It is very motivating. They show such support for me and the other Pinoy world champions and, of course, especially the main guy Pacquiao. It’s just such an honour to be where I’m at right now and I want to keep it that way. I want to continue to better myself and achieve, to show my gratitude for all those who believe in me.
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