Donaire eyes victory in any form

MANILA, Philippines - Nonito Donaire Jr. won his last three fights on the scorecards when before that he was often seen knocking out his opponents left and right.

Truth is the Filipino champion wouldn’t mind if his Oct. 13 encounter with the tried and tested Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan once again lasts the distance.

“We have been fighting the fights and getting the victories and I think that’s what counts most,” said the reigning IBF and WBO super-bantamweight champion.

“These guys I have been fighting are world champions and they are at the top of their game. Sometimes you don’t get the results that people look for,” he told a recent conference call.

“People expect a lot from me. We have been trying to change things up to get different results. Against Nishioka we can’t let our guard down and going back to the old Nonito Donaire style of fighting smart.”

Donaire, 29, will carry an impressive record of 29-1 (with 18 KOS) to the Home Depot Center in Carson City this weekend against the 36-year-old ninja from Hyogo.

Nishioka made his pro debut in 1994, when Donaire was only 12 years old, and has a record of 39-4-3 with 24 knockouts. He is the WBC emeritus champion at 122 lb.

Donaire hasn’t lost a fight in over 11 years now, and Nishioka had gone undefeated in eight years.

Donaire just wrapped up his sparring and is ready for battle. People are hoping for the knockout which he failed to deliver against Omar Narvaez, Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. and Jeffrey Mathebula.

Before that, he scored big knockouts against Fernando Montiel, Volodymyr Sydorenko, Hernan Marquez, Manuel Vargas, Raul Martinez, Moruthi Mthalane, Luis Maldonado and Vic Darchinyan.

Nishioka is not an easy opponent as some suggest. But that’s for Donaire to find out inside the ring. 

“Nishioka has power and he knows how to set it up. He’s a veteran and knows the tricks that can frustrate a fighter – that’s what we don’t want to fall into.

“We have a great game plan and we are ready for whatever it is,” added Donaire.

He will take the victory – in any form.