WBO junior featherweight titleholder Nonito Donaire will defend his belt against Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka in an HBO-televised fight from the Home Depot Center in Carson Calif., on Oct. 13, Top Rank Inc. CEO Bob Arum told RingTV.com on Sunday.
Arum also confirmed a report by BoxingScene.com that former WBA lightweight beltholder Brandon Rios (30-0-1, 22 knockouts) has reached a verbal agreement to appear on the Donaire-Nishioka undercard in his junior welterweight debut against rugged Mike Alvarado (33-0, 23 KOs).
A three-division beltholder, Donaire (29-1, 18 KOs) had been seeking high-profile bouts against the likes of Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs), WBA counterpart Guillermo Rigondeaux (10-0, 8 KOs), WBC beltholder Abner Mares (24-0-1, 13 KOs) or four-division titlewinner Jorge Arce (60-6-2, 46 KOs).
With a decision over Eric Morel in April, Mares won the WBC belt that had been vacated by Nishioka, who stretched his winning streak to 16 straight fights with his last triumph by unanimous decision over two-division titleholder Rafael Marquez in October.
Nishioka was at ringside at Home Depot Center for last month's unification bout, when Donaire scored a tough, unanimous decision over South Africa's IBF beltholder Jeffrey Mathebula (26-4-2, 14 KOs), ending the loser's three-fight winning streak.
Donaire has made it clear that he believes Nishioka represents the most definitive of challenges.
"I think that the best guy in this division that I want to prove myself against is Nishioka," said Donaire. "I think that Nishioka is the better of all of the guys. He's proven himself in this weight class to be the real champion."
Meanwhile, Donaire's accomplishments include knockouts of three-division titlewinner Fernando Montiel and ex-beltholders Volodymyr Sydorenko and Vic Darchinyan in the second, fourth and fifth rounds, respectively, as well as a split-decision over Wifredo Vazquez Jr. and a decision over previously unbeaten WBO junior bantamweight titleholder Omar Narvaez.
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