MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao may be miles ahead in terms of talent and popularity compared to his compatriot Nonito Donaire, Jr., but the latter believes in the same principle as what the newly-crowned eight-division champion.

The 28-year-old Donaire, who holds the WBA interim super flyweight title, is scheduled to climb the ring against Wladimir Sidorenko of Ukraine on December 4 in the event dubbed as "In Harm's Way", aiming to chalk up a win before gearing up for a tougher battle against unified bantamweight titlist Fernando Montiel on February next year.

“This is the fight I have been looking for,’ Donaire said in an interview with Top Rank, as posted on BoxingScene.com. “I am motivated in terms of learning and becoming a better fighter and Robert (Garcia, his trainer) is there to help me out and Top Rank is there to give me the fight.”

“You have never seen Nonito Donaire fight when he is this motivated… the whole team is really excited for this fight and we are really looking forward to it,” he adds.

Training under Robert Garcia, the same guy who was on tap at Antonio Margarito’s corner against Manny Pacquiao recently, has been one of the defining moments of Donaire’s career, and he (Donaire) admits that it has done so much to help him improve his overall game.

“He is bringing the best of me in terms of being confident. I have never had anyone to inspire me to train hard to be more confident in the ring,” said Donaire, currently running fourth in the pound-for-pound rankings next to Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez. “He tells me I can do it and I have never had anyone tell me that I can do it. All my life people have told me I couldn’t do it and he brings the best out of me.”

Garcia, a former boxer himself, appreciates his ward’s kind words, saying that his only work was to help his fighter polish the talents that he already possesses.

“When I was brought into training camp last year, I saw that he was very talented but he lacked that final decision,” Garcia revealed. “He always fought with very good skills but never able to make that quick decision at the end. He was so skillful he never had to, but coming into big fights, you need someone to push you to the extra level.”

Make no mistake about it, but Donaire’s camp says they’re not looking past Sidorenko because a fighter like him poses greater dangers especially when too much air gets into their heads coming into the fight.

“Sidorenko is a very tough guy; he is very experienced and he knows how to win as well,” said Donaire, who carries a professional record of 24 wins (16 knockouts) and one loss. “He is there to bring his name up as well in beating me. I am ready for whatever he brings to the ring.”

“It is going to be a tough fight and one that I want to make a statement on,” added Donaire, who revealed that he has hired a strength and conditioning trainer by the name of Remni Korchemni to help him achieve his best fighting shape.

“We have a tough opponent and I have been studying his tapes for the last couple of weeks. He is a tough kid with a lot of experience and a former world champion,” Garcia said. “We are not taking it easy. Nonito is in tremendous shape and I am amazed with the shape he is in.”

“Nonito is not looking past his opponent and we see great fights in the future. Not only Montiel. We cannot look past Sidorenko.”

A knockout win has been a mark of Donaire’s recent string of victories, where he pummeled his opponents non-stop until they kiss the canvas hard.

Against Sidorenko, Donaire isn’t going to look towards the other direction.

“I always want to look for a knockout — that is the best way to victory you can achieve in a fight. I don’t want to be cocky or sound cocky but that is the best motivation for a fight and what I keep in my head,” said Donaire.

“I want to be the first guy to knock this guy (Sidorenko) out. That’s what I want to do when I get the opportunity in the ring.”

Ericson Beco, Manila Bulletin