Mendoza: Donaire ready for 2012 but not Pacquiao

Friday, December 30, 2011

AS the year sees its last day today, Manny Pacquiao has yet to find his first foe for 2012.

But not Nonito Donaire Jr.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

If ESPN.com is to be believed, Donaire will face Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. on Feb. 4 at the famed Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Already, Donaire, even if he’s newly-married, has been training in earnest, not wanting to take any chances against Vazquez, a Puerto Rican who is actually a former world champion himself in the same weight class.

Donaire, the reigning WBO and WBC bantamweight (118-pound) champion, will gun for the vacant WBO (World Boxing Organization) super bantamweight crown (122-pound) as he chases his dream to imitate Pacquiao as a multi-titled champion.

Featured as the main undercard in the fight featuring the unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. against either Marco Antonio Rubio or undefeated Vanes Martirosyan, the Donaire-Vazquez tiff is being billed as the first real test for the “Filipino Flash” if he could scale more heights a la Pacquiao (eight-division champ).

Donaire has a dangerous opponent in Vazquez.

Vazquez held the crown until Jorge Arce of Mexico toppled him by a 12th-round TKO in May after Arce had miraculously risen from a fourth-round knockdown.

Stunningly, Arce abdicated his throne to move back to 118-pound, the division now being abandoned by Donaire himself.

Meanwhile, Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s American promoter, absorbed a technical knockout himself in his frenetic bid to pit Pacquiao against Floyd Mayweather Jr. after Mayweather got floored by a lady judge in Las Vegas, Nevada.

After entering a guilty plea to a 2010 charge of domestic violence, Mayweather was slapped a 90-day jail sentence starting Jan. 6--effectively torpedoing a projected May 6 encounter with Pacquiao.

As a result, Arum is now considering four foes for Pacquiao: undefeated Tim Bradley, Lamont Peterson, Miguel Cotto and, yes, Juan Manuel Marquez.

Surprised about Cotto and Marquez being considered?

But boxing will never stop to shock us.

Pacquiao fighting Mayweather in prison might even be an option.

So, stop wondering.

With Pacquiao in any card, expect a blockbuster.

Happy New Year!

(alsol47@yahoo.com)