Donaire wants best fighters in higher weight division

MANILA, July 28 (PNA) -– Nonito 'The Filipino Flash' Donaire Jr. formally announced on Tuesday his plan to move up to higher weight division with the hoping of fighting the best fighters including bantamweight world champion Fernando Montiel of Mexico and super bantamweight titlist Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. of Puerto Rico.

"I'm moving up to the higher weight division just to prove that I can fight the best fighters," Donaire said in a lunch press conference hosted by GMA-7 Inc. chairman and CEO Felipe Gozon at the GMA-7 Building in Quezon City.

Donaire, who knocked out Mexican Hernan Marquez in eighth round to retain his interim WBA world super flyweight belt last July 10 in Puerto Rico, made his decision after the best fighters in the flyweight division, including Australian Vic Darchinyan refused to face him anew.

"I also decided to move up to higher weight category because I'm getting hard time to reduce weight to 115 pounds. I think I would be more comfortable fighting in the bantamweight or super bantamweight," Donaire explained.

Accompanied by his fiancée Rachel Marcial, the 27-year-old Donaire said that if both Montiel and Vasquez still refuse to fight him, he is even willing to move up to featherweight division to fight undefeated Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico.

Donaire is hoping to fight in November, preferably in one of the undercards of the next fight of Filipino ring sensation and now Saranggani congressman Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao.

"It's really my dream to fight underneath Manny's future fights because he is really a big attraction in boxing and it's everybody fighter's dream to fight in one of his undercards," he said.

While waiting for his next opponent, Donaire has been offered by GMA-7 to make some rounds of guesting in Kapuso shows and programs just liked he did in the third season of the celebrity singing search Celebrity Duets and Pacquio's regular sitcom Show Me Da Manny.

Donaire is slated to gust in the wacky and popular game show Hole in the Wall and the newest realty dance program Danz Showdown.

"My first love is boxing but I also love to do some acting in front of cameras and that's I would be doing in between my trainings in the new few months while while waiting for next fight," Donaire said.

Donaire, who packs 26 wins including 16 knockouts with one defeat, promised to continue to give honor for country at least for the next five years.

"I'm still young and I would continue giving my countrymen with more honors," he said.(PNA)