**Donaire struggling to make 115lbs for his upcoming fight**

DONAIRE STRUGGLING TO MAKE 115

It's obvious that Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire is struggling to make the 115 pound super flyweight limit for his title defense against power-punching Hernan “Tyson” Marquez with Donaire’s WBA Interim title on the line.


When we spoke to Donaire around 12 noon (Puerto Rico time) Tuesday he sounded tired if not unhappy over the fact that he hasn’t been able to get a decent fight that would do him justice at either bantamweight or super bantamweight since he is around 5’7” and has a frame that cannot possibly linger at 115 pounds.

Donaire told us he hadn’t checked his weight since he arrived in Puerto Rico and that the last he checked he was around 6-8 pounds over the 115 limit with just four days to go before the fight.

The former IBF/IBO flyweight champion who won the title with a sensational 5th round knockout of Vic Darchinyan on July 7, 2007 has been eager to fight big names such as WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel, the Mexican’s mandatory challenger Eric Morel or even Jorge Arce who is moving up to bantamweight.

But both Montiel and Morel have so far rejected his offer to fight them although Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has reportedly promised Donaire a crack at Montiel, provided the Mexican beats Morel in their July 17 title fight in Mexico.

Meantime, well known promoter Fernando Beltran told us some time ago that Donaire better not take Marquez lightly because he can punch and blamed Marquez's surprising loss to Filipino Richie Mepranum on points last March to lack of focus and preparation and the fact that he had to come down in weight from a super flyweight to fight as a flyweight and won’t have that problem in the Donaire fight.

Marquez who has a record of 23-1 with 15 knockouts was quoted as saying he understands the position he is in because he is “not the favorite and so I’m under a lot of pressure” since he signed the contract to fight Donaire. However, Marquez said that in return “this has given me great motivation and belief in myself and I wouldn’t be here (in Puerto Rico) if I didn’t think I could win.”

Marquez said the loss to Mepranum who out-boxed him to score a lopsided points decision taught him a “a great lesson” and that he has “prepared better for this fight. I’ll have no weight problems and we’ll demonstrate that we have what it takes to be crowned world champion.”

The Top Rank continuing “Pinoy Power/Latin Fury” series will be held at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in Hato Rey and will be telecast by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN over its pre-eminent Channel 2 beginning at 10:00 a.m. with a replay over Studio 23 at 7:00 p.m.

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