By Mick Akers
As Nonito Donaire prepares for his upcoming super bantamweight unification bout with Toshiaki Nishioka on October 13, many boxing fans and media members alike are wondering why Donaire is not facing some one more recognizable like Guillermo Rigondeaux. The answer according to Donaire is money.
Donaire explained that fighters looking to square off with him are expecting to net a million dollar payday because he has a big name and most times that simply is not possible.
Donaire is just shining some light on one of the biggest problems in boxing today.
With promotional companies at odds, many of the best fighters have a hard time making bouts against each other come to fruition due to the various promoters feuding with each other.
One cannot mention promoters at odds without mentioning Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, and Donaire did just that. Although he stopped himself from saying the two pound-for-pound greats will never meet in the ring, Donaire should have let the sentence continue, as we are highly unlikely to see a Mayweather-Pacquiao bout mostly due to promoters not meeting eye-to-eye.
Boxing would be better off if the fighters themselves were the matchmakers, as Donaire claims he is game to fight anyone, anywhere, anytime, a sentiment heard from other top boxers as well. But unfortunately we are stuck in the world of promoters running the game looking to make fights that make the most money, not the most sense.
