PAUL “Showtime” Fleming relishes the moment of fighting the biggest fight of his career, thus far, alongside one of the biggest stars in Philippine boxing tomorrow night in one of the grandest shows in boxing crazy Cebu City.
“Yeah for sure. I’m fighting for a WBC (World Boxing Council) regional title. I’m already rated in the WBO (World Boxing Organization). I’m top 10 in the WBO so this will give me a top 10 in the WBC as well. And I’m co-main event for three-time world champion Nonito Donaire on a show that someone said will have about 20,000 people there, that’s crazy. I fought in front oif seven and eight thousand but not 20,000 people and the way Filipino supporters are, they’re crazy about boxing so the atmosphere is going to be amazing there so I’m really looking forward to it. Like I said it’s an honor being the co-main event for Nonito Donaire. We’re really thankful to Top Rank,” Fleming said the other night at The Social.
Fleming takes on tough Mexican Miguel Angel Gonzalez in the co-main event of The Time Has Come: Donaire vs. Bedak, which will be headlined by a title defense of WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. against former Olympian Zsolt Bedak at the Cebu Cty Sorts Center.
Fleming believes that a win should kick off his career to new heights, possibly a shot at a world title.
“We’re just waiting for things to fall into place. If get a world title shot tomorrow, we’ll take it. We were already in talks with WBO guys, Roman Martinez, and were in talks with (Miguel) Berchelt. But now it looks like (Vasyl) Lomachenko is going to fight Martinez,” said Fleming.
Martinez is defending his WBO super featherweight belt against Lomachenko in June . He hopes to fight the winner. He is also interested in a fight with interim WBO champion Berchelt and WBC titleholder Francisco Vargas.
Fleming started fighting at 13. He made the Australian national team and fought in the Beijing Olympics. He was a bronze medalist in the World Junior Championships in 2006.
“I fight similar to Nonito Donaire. I’m a kind of a boxer like Nonito Donaire. I’m part Asian myself. My mum is half Australian Aboriginal, quarter Malaysian and a quarter Chinese, so I’m Asian. I’m like your neighbor, we’re not to far away,” said Fleming, who feels that the Cebuano fight fans will love his style and will be cheering him on.
A southpaw like Manny Pacquiao, Fleming feels that his skills are far more superior than Gonzalez and it will win him the fight.
“The last Mexican I fought, I knocked out in 45 seconds. I don’t make predictions. If he gives me the opportunity to knock him out then I’ll knock him out. It depends on him really if he opens up early then I’ll get him early. Mexicans don’t come to lay down, they come here to win. They don’t come to give fights away. They’re like Filipinos, they have a big heart. I expect him to fight like a true Mexican. I expect him to fight hard but I think my superior boxing skills will shine through,” said Fleming, who is 21-0 with 14 knockouts.