Donaire eyes Arce in October

Manila, Philippines – Nonito Donaire will be short of visiting the lion’s den when he returns to the ring in October.

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum said Donaire will meet Mexican four-divison champion Jorce Arce in a 12-round title fight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The choice of the Staples Center as venue is a no-brainer considering Southern California is heavily populated by Mexicans.

While the Los Angeles area has a large concentration of Filipinos, it is considered as the second home of Mexicans and Arum is banking on the Hispanics’ strong nationalistic fervor to make the fight a huge success.

Of course, Filipinos will likewise come in droves to show their support to Donaire, 29, but the vast majority of the 21,000 seats that fateful night will be filled by diehard Mexican fight fans of the colorful Arce.

Donaire (29-1-0 with 18 knockouts) is fresh from a masterful 12-round decision win over the outclassed South African Jeffrey Mathebula and is looking forward to the matchup with the rugged Arce (60-6-2 with 46 knockouts).

The past few years, Arce has been calling out the name of Donaire, who, had also been doing the same, knowing that their pairing has the makings of an epic fight. (Nick Giongco)

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