Donaire ready to face Lopez or Vasquez

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino champ Nonito Donaire Jr. is looking to take on either Puerto Rican champions Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. or Juan Manuel Lopez if plans to fight Mexican bantamweight king Fernando Montiel won’t materialize.

Donaire said Montiel has yet to officially respond to his call to fight the reigning WBO and WBC 118-lb champion this November.

“Officially, there’s no feedback yet from their camp. Hopefully, he’ll take up the challenge,” said Donaire in yesterday’s press briefing and welcoming party hosted by GMA 7.

Also present were Donaire’s wife Rachel and GMA CEO Atty. Felipe Gozon, an avid boxing fan.

“If the Montiel fight will not happen, I’m hoping to face either Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. and Juanma Lopez, the best in their divisions and whom I really respect a lot,” Donaire said.

Donaire, the former flyweight champion, retained his interim WBA super-flyweight crown via an eighth-round TKO of Mexican Hernan Marquez recently.

According to reports quoting the two fighters’ promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, the Donaire-Montiel showdown has earlier been set in November at a still undecided venue in the US.

“That’s really the big fight for me. Montiel’s a great champion. For me, he’s the best in the bantamweight (division) but I think I can handle him,” said Donaire in a separate interview.

Donaire hopes that the proposed fight with Montiel, who knocked out former Donaire victim Rafael Concepcion of Panama in three rounds in his latest fight, will push through though.

“I want big fights. I want to test my skills against elite fighters and show that I’m in their league,” he said.

This came after old rival Vic Darchinyan seemed to have been avoiding a rematch with Donaire, who knocked him out in their first meeting.