Donaire predicts fight won’t last 10 rounds

MANILA, Philippines - Nonito Donaire Jr. has guaranteed a knockout in his long-awaited rematch with Vic Darchinyan tomorrow at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The former world champion from the Philippines was too specific in his prediction.

“That’s one thing this fight will be (a knockout),” said Donaire, fighting for the first time since losing his WBO and WBA super-bantamweight titles to Guillermo Rigondeaux last April.

Donaire said he will go for the knockout or get knocked out trying.

“He (Darchinyan) is going to look for a knockout and I’m going to look for a knockout. I don’t think it is going to last the 10 rounds,” said Donaire in a recent conference call.

It’s the first time Donaire is fighting as a featherweight but said he feels comfortable with the weight.

When they first met on Aug. 7, 2007 (07/07/07) in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Donaire scored a sensational knockout against the cocky fighter from Armenia.

The knockout came at the 1:38 mark of the fifth round when Donaire caught Darchinyan with a left hook to the jaw. He couldn’t have landed that shot any better.

Darchinyan didn’t know what hit him, and in the same conference call he said he made a mistake by trying to “jump up right away” after being knocked down.

“It was the only knockdown in my life – amateur or professional – never been knocked down. I jumped up right away,” said the 37-year-old Darchinyan.

“If I take a couple of seconds on the floor to recover, maybe it would be a different outcome, you know? I had no experience with a knockdown. Now it is good – I have experience with it,” he said.

With that one punch, Donaire became the IBF flyweight champion and went on to win world titles in the super-flyweight, bantamweight and super-bantamweight crowns.

It was named by Ring Magazine as the Knockout of the Year and the Upset of the Year.

Before losing to Rigondeaux, the hard-hitting Filipino won 30 consecutive fights in nearly 12 years. He is now 31-2-0 with 20 knockouts.

Darchinyan recovered from that stunning loss against Donaire and became the WBC, WBA and IBF super-flyweight champion but has failed as a bantamweight. He has lost two of his last four fights.

Darchinyan said he waited six years for this rematch with Donaire. And at his age, he vowed to be at his best.

“Thirty-seven years old? I don’t even feel that, I feel like I am 25. I am not getting tired. It’s about how you prepare yourself,” said Darchinyan.

It remains to be seen.