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Olympic Boxer Marlen Esparza is a Cover Girl model with a right hook like a mack truck.

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By Jim Schmaltz
April 2013

Tell Marlen Esparza she fights like a man, and she’ll smile at you like a Disney Princess. Esparza is more than a history-making Olympic boxer; she’s the new female ideal in elite athletics, pursuing traditionally masculine athletic skills while radiating femininity when not in competition.  Her unique combination of brutal brawler and photogenic beauty—which she displays for her high-profile sponsors like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola—has made her a fan favorite of young girls, especially those in the Latino community.  But make no mistake: She’s serious about punching the lights out of her opponents.

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Body Talk with Nonito Donaire Jr.

Original Article: The Philippine Star

By Ricky Lo

For setting the highest standard as a fighter in the ring in 2012, ESPN named Nonito Donaire Jr. as its Boxer of the Year.

Dubbed as “The Filipino Flash,” Donaire began the year having vacated his bantamweight belts and preparing to move up to junior featherweight. Four fights later, in an exceptionally busy year by modern standards for an elite champion, the quick-fisted and powerful Donaire stands atop the 122-pound division and was the easy pick for 2012 ESPN.com Boxer of the Year.

Donaire, 30, thus regained the ESPN award for the Philippines last won by Manny Pacquiao back-to-back from 2008. Sergio Martinez and Andre Ward were the last two recipients of the top boxing award. — News item, The Philippine STAR, Dec. 26, 2012

Barely two days after what news reports described as his “masterful demolition” of Mexican Jorge Arce, a victory deemed to have “boosted the pride of a country suffering from the shock of Pacquiao’s loss to arch rival (also Mexican) Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas last Nov. 8,” Donaire came home to share that triumph with his kababayan.

“It was a quick trip,” Donaire’s new manager, Shirley Kuan, told Funfare, “so quick that his wife Rachel wasn’t able to come with him.”

He didn’t say if Rachel is expecting. Asked what kind of father he would be, Donaire said, “Being a father is what I wish for and if that comes true, the feeling would be something that words could never ever describe.”
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Donaire stayed just long enough to bring holiday cheers to the Filipinos but, thanks to Shirley, he managed to do a “Body Talk” for the benefit of his fans.

A Scorpion (Nov. 16), Donaire is 5’6” tall; weighs 133 lbs.; and wears small-sized shirt, medium-sized briefs and size-9 shoes.

How do you usually prepare for a fight?

“I usually start my training camps ideally around 10 weeks before the fight date. I drive from Las Vegas to San Carlos, California, with all my training gear and settle in a hotel for two months. My manager sends me sparring partners around the end of the first month.”

Do you have a special diet in preparation for a fight? What is your regular diet?

“Now that I’ve moved up in weight I am allowed to be not as strict in preparation for the fight. I can eat steak, rice, sushi, and pretty much whatever, but I try to stay away from junk food. I don’t really have a regular diet. I just eat what I’m craving for because most of the time, being health-conscious is no fun.”

What was the toughest part of your recent fight?

“The toughest part of the last fight vs. Arce was to stay mentally focused. A lot of fighters do not fight four times a year, some not even three times a year. It was great for my body because I was consistently in shape. The problem was mentally I was tired of being in training camp and wanted to be able to just put my feet up and not talk about boxing.”

You said you are going to “rest, rest, rest.” How will you celebrate Christmas after all your victories this year? (Note: Interview done before Christmas Day.)

“I’m spending it with my wife definitely. I will fly back to Las Vegas on Christmas Eve and will be able to have a nice dinner. We are keeping it pretty close and simple, but celebrate the end of 2012 and welcome the New Year with a big party.”

What’s usually for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

“If I had my way, breakfast would be longganisa, lunch would be lechon and dinner would be kobe steak and rice.”

What food do you always crave for, what food do you avoid?

“I always crave for lechon bulaklak and sisig…really, really bad food. But since I only get to eat them during my breaks, I let myself eat. I try to avoid salty food.”

Any snacks between meals?

“Sometimes I’ll have a banana between meals or, if I’m not training, chips.”

How much water do you take per day (soda, coffee, tea or energy drinks)?

“I drink A LOT of water every day, especially during camp. I probably drink six liters in addition to recovery drinks. I sweat so much that if I don’t keep hydrated, I get headaches and cramps. Soda, I save for after the fight. Something about soda after a fight makes it so satisfying.”

What vitamins do you take?

“I take a lot of supplements. I take multivitamins, vitamin C, vitamin B, electrolytes, ZMA for recovery when I sleep, Aerobitine, Hypoxygen, Vitalyze, and then recovery drinks like Proglycosyn.”

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Nonito Donaire leads boxing into the future

Original Article: Max Boxing, Special to Doghouse Boxing
by Gabriel Montoya
December 15, 2012

Since July of 2012, Nonito Donaire, 30-1, 19 KOs, has been showing the boxing world he is a truly clean athlete. When the super bantamweight champion signed up to join to be the inaugural fighter in the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association’s state-of-the-art 24/7/365 year-round anti-doping program, he began sending a message to the sport and to his fans that his in the ring accomplishments are all natural. Since that time, while no athlete has joined him in 24/7/365 VADA testing, some have joined VADA’s training camp testing in an attempt to display they are PED-free. In a year that has seen positive test results for performance enhancing drugs in combat sports occur at an alarming rate and state commissions not respond by upgrading their testing programs, Donaire’s near 6 month one man stand is a sign of hope through personal responsibility.

“Well for me, “I do it for my own reasons but it’s up to the boxing world,” Donaire told Maxboxing.com Thursday night via phone from Houston where he will defend his titles against Jorge Arce of Mexico on HBO. “It’s a great sport around the world. Perhaps the promoters should mandate it so that no one else can say no [to testing]. For me, it doesn’t matter. I’ve always had the mentality that even if they’re on [PEDs] I’m still going to beat them. They still bleed, they still break. And with the way I think and the way I fight and train, I can break them down.”

From his fighting style which features a speed-based attack that is free flowing and unorthodox, incorporating start and stop footwork, explosive punches that come from odd angles, and switched stances, Donaire is his own creation; A mix of old and new school fighting and fitness philosophies.

A Filipino-American who makes his home in Northern California’s Bay Area with his lovely wife Rachel, Donaire doesn’t take a typical approach to the fight game. It is this independent spirit that has brought him together with an interesting group of men who all serve a unique role at various times during his 11 year win streak (he lost in his second fight back in 2001).

One member of the team who has had a profound effect yet brought a cloud of suspicion to Donaire is Victor Conte. Following a chance meeting with nutritionist/anti-doping advocate Conte at a bank, Donaire’s mind opened to new ways to expand his athletic potential. The two agreed to work together.

Conte, who runs SNAC (Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning), a sports nutrition supplement company in the Bay Area, is likely best known as the founder of BALCO, which was implicated in supplying illegal undetectable performance enhancing drugs to high level athletes during a 4 year period from 2000-2003.

However, for 15 years prior to that period, Conte’s company helped athletes reach a higher level of performance level legally and above all intelligently. Using in-depth blood analysis to determine nutrition status plus monitoring liver, kidney, and heart functions to determine proper hydration and appropriate supplementation, Conte and his team developed personalized nutrition programs for their athletes.

Since the moment Conte came clean on national television in 2004 to present day, he has done his best to promote what he calls the new school of strength and conditioning methods and educate the sports world on the dangers of performance enhancing drugs. A non-stop anti-doping advocate who is arguably the movement’s most vocal member, Conte’s greatest love is being in the trenches and helping athletes get to the next a higher level of performance.

He and Donaire hit it off immediately.

Soon after they met, Donaire began to work with Conte at the Undisputed Boxing Gym in San Carlos, CA. It was there that Conte joined strength coach Michael Bazzel and primary trainer Brian Schwartz, to help Donaire go from title holder to a unified champion undergoing the most stringent drug testing available.

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Donaire confident scientific training will aid his victory over Nishioka

Conte expects Donaire to be at the level he was when he beat Montiel

Original Article: Examiner.com
By Dennis “D Source” Guillermo
October 10, 2012

Sports scientist and nutrition guru Victor Conte believes that “The Monster Man” will be back this Saturday. Conte told this scribe in an exclusive interview that WBO and IBF super jr. featherweight champion Nonito Donaire, Jr. will be carrying the same amount of momentum he did when he fought Fernando Montiel in February 2011 when he first coined the nickname for the Filipino slugger in reference to his conditioning for that fight. Great news if you’re a Donaire fan; not so much if you are Toshiaki Nishioka.

“This is my sixth fight helping Nonito,” Conte opened, and elaborated, “initially it was Tyson Marquez, there was a momentum that was gained, thereafter was Sidorenko and then Montiel… and you could really feel the carryover. By Montiel he was just… remember he went from Superman to Monster Man?”

Montiel didn’t even manage to get out of the 2nd round against Donaire’s “monster mode”, but since that fight, Donaire hasn’t necessarily looked as devastating. “What happened was, there was this long contractual delay of over six months, and the momentum was somewhat lost,” Conte explained to me. “Then the outings thereafter that you know better than I do about (how things went with New York and San Antonio), a couple of fights he was using a lot of the methods – the Hypoxicator he continued training with – but it’s not the same in my opinion with him being in Vegas and not coming here for camp,” he added.

Conte was referring to Donaire’s decision to abandon his training regimen at the Undisputed Gym for his fights against Omar Narvaez and Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., opting instead to hold camp in Las Vegas where the 29-year-old fighter currently resides.

“Last camp for the fight at the Home Depot Center, he did come back here. He had a great camp. He was in tremendous physical and mental condition going in to that fight,” Conte continued.

“I think it was more of a strategic fight. He dominated the fight, he knocked him down, he broke his jaw, so Nonito did great… he went 12 rounds,” added Conte, as he emphasized the importance of Donaire’s scientific training methods at the Undisputed Gym together with the aid of his SNAC labs. And for his fight this weekend against Nishioka, Conte is confident that Donaire will be back to his peak form.

“I think that has carried over to this fight, because this is the second camp back in San Carlos. I just personally like it better for Nonito to be here at Undisputed, so I think there’s some momentum carrying over for this fight much like what happened with Sidorenko and Montiel,” Conte said. “He’s held the last two camps here, so I have very high expectations from Nonito, and I expect him to build on the momentum from the last fight.”

Donaire can certainly do his career a big favor by putting forth a similar effort he had against Montiel this Saturday. Donaire has been able to drop his previous two opponents at the jr. featherweight division, but has not been able to take them out. Can he rise to the challenge against Nishioka? We’ll all soon find out.

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