Donaire: No weight problem in Houston

HOUSTON – Nonito Donaire Jr. did it with ease while Jorge Arce had to drop his trunks just to make weight Friday afternoon at the PlazAmericas Mall foodcourt here.

Arce stripped himself naked, and tipped the scales a second time, a big white towel shielding him from the dominant Latino crowd that came to see the official weigh-in.

The 33-year-old Mexican, now in his heaviest form, made the limit of 122 lb on his second try, after the Filipino WBO super-bantamweight champion weighed in at 121 ½ lb.

Later on, a couple of hours after the weigh-in, Donaire said he knew beforehand that Arce was having a little problem making weight.

“I think so,” said Donaire, who at 5’6” is almost two inches taller than Arce, and enjoys a two-inch reach advantage with his 68. They both fight right-handed.

“He was working out this morning before going to the weigh-in,” said Donaire of Arce who must have gotten out of bed a couple of pounds over heading to the 2 p.m. weigh-in.

“I did, too, but it was easy for me to get the weight. It took me about 10 minutes to drop two pounds,” said Donaire.

After the weigh-in, Donaire was brought back to his room at the Hyatt Regency where he loaded himself up with lasagna, with extra meat, and protein-rich drinks.

Arce was handed what looked like a pint of protein shake after he made weight.

Donaire went out of his room after his late lunch, and said he wanted to walk around before taking a nap. He said he should be up at 9:30 p.m. to have dinner.

“I’ll be having steak but just enough to make me feel good. Hindi naman ako matakaw. You just want to feel natural and not bloated,” he said.

Donaire said he plans to climb the ring no heavier than 129 pounds because for a previous fight he went in a little heavy and didn’t feel well. He expects Arce to come in at around 132 lb.

“Once, I came in 15 pounds over and I felt sluggish,” said Donaire.

He’s not having that problem here in Houston.