Nonito Donaire eyes world title at 115 after next bout

Nonito Donaire is eyeing a world title at super flyweight and become a five-division world champion before he hangs up his gloves.

Donaire, 37, is scheduled to face WBC world bantamweight champion Nordine Oubaali on Dec. 12 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, USA.

He previously held an interim title at super flyweight and is confident that he can still drop down to 115 pounds and call himself a world champion in that weight class.

“I still want to go back down to 115 and get a title there and then go up to 130. I can do that. When I was weighing in at the last fight with Inoue I was 117.5 but I had to drink a little bit of water because I was 116,” Donaire told boxingscene.com.

“So I don’t have a problem making that weight. I would want to stamp that fifth division. The only reason I couldn’t get that before was because everybody was running away from me at 115 and I couldn’t get the title.”

The 115-pound division is home to some of the best fighters in the world. It is also the weight class where his fellow Filipino Jerwin Ancajas is the IBF world super flyweight champion.

But out of all of the names there, Donaire is most interested in sharing the ring with the former pound-for-pound king Roman Gonzalez.

“I think that would be a great fight with Roman and you have a lot of guys there that are incredible,” Donaire stated.

“I’ve seen them fight. I do look at those fights and I enjoy those fights. The little guys are incredible fighters. We just go in there and tee off with each other. All of that can happen, but right now the main focus is Oubaali.”

Donaire fought and won as far up as the 126-pound featherweight division where he was stopped in the sixth round by Nicholas Walters in 2014.

He wants to take his act up to 130 pounds, but his wife and manager Rachel, would not allow it to happen.

“It’s something I can do and something I want to do. After that, I can say I am a five-division champion and then go up to 130 afterward. My wife is looking at me crazy right now. I’m getting that look right now. She’s telling me no 130.” – JM Siasat/RC, GMA News