With Nonito Donaire's next fight only days away, "The Filipino Flash" has admitted that he has already fulfilled his life-long dream as a boxer. The 2012 Fighter of the Year also revealed that while he still enjoys boxing, it is "just a job" for him these days.
Nonito Donaire's next fight is slated against hard-hitting Jamaican Nicholas Walters, as the undercard of the event headlined by middleweights Gennady Golovkin and Marco Antonio Rubio. The bout will be held this Saturday at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Nonito Donaire's next fight is also "The Filipino Flash's" third fight on the undercard, after years of being a headliner. But for the five-division champion, it does not matter, as long as he gets to fight.
" I'm here to fight. It doesn't matter to me," Donaire said in an interview with Marcos Villegas of Fight Hub TV. "I'm just blessed to have this fight and I'm ready for it."
Donaire, who holds a record of 33-2, has remained undefeated for 12 straight years, until losing to multi-titled amateur boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2013, via a disappointing unanimous decision verdict.
During his undefeated streak, however, he has faced and defeated notable names such as Fernando Montiel, Omar Narvaes and veteran Jorge Arce. He also won the 2012 Fighter of the Year honors, when he fought and won four times during the said year.
But for "The Filipino Flash", having achieved such feats is already mission accomplished, in terms of going after his lifelong dream.
"When I finished 2012 and got the Fighter of the Year, I pretty much accomplished my childhood dream, my lifelong dream and beyond," Donaire explained. Now, creating another dream is the hardest thing."
At 31-years of age, Donaire is no longer a young gun in a vicious, taxing sport such as boxing. This is why the former world champion has felt that being in the sport can be more of an obligation than a passion at times.
"I love doing it, but there's days that are hard for me. It's definitely a job for me, in terms of feeding my family, in terms of getting what I could have in boxing," Donaire explained. "I'm not going to say I enjoy it thoroughly. I do enjoy it, but part of it is a job."
