Nonito Donaire will meet Toshiaki Nishioka on October 13th in an HBO-televised fight, according to a report from RingTV.com. It’s a very intriguing fight, and one that Donaire will be favored to win. However, Nishioka is no pushover and is riding a long winning streak with several notable victories during that time.
Nishioka is ranked number 2, and Donaire number 3, in our current Super Bantamweight division rankings (Donaire is number 5 pound for pound, Nishioka number 12). With those kinds of credentials, this is a fight you can’t complain about whatsoever.
More people have been excited to see a Donaire vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux clash, but that was never going to be put together at this time. Further, if Donaire sticks to his previously asserted plan, he’ll be leaving Super Bantamweight after this bout and heading to the more lucrative waters of Featherweight.
The co-feature for the card will feature a battle of unbeatens, as Brandon Rios finally debuts at Junior Welterweight, and takes on Mike Alvarado. This promises to be an exciting, fan friendly contest, and a strong contender for Fight of the Year.
Alvarado’s career has progressed slowly over the years, and one wonders if Top Rank is giving up on his championship credentials and feeding him to Rios here. It won’t be an easy fight for “Bam Bam”, however, it will be one he is favored to win, and he does appear to be a much more complete fighter than Alvarado. Either way though, that’s a fun fight you will not want to miss.
Donaire vs. Nishioka is definitely one to look forward to as well, so this is a solid card to add to the docket for the fall. Both Donaire and Rios are trained by Robert Garcia.
