Arum not interested in Rigondeaux-Donaire rematch, eyes Donaire-Walters

Perhaps sensing an inevitable repeat of one of his cash cows losing to a guy he doesn't know how to promote, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum doesn't sound keen on a rematch between Nonito Donaire and WBA super bantamweight titlist Guillermo Rigondeaux, and instead would prefer that Donaire face Jamaican featherweight Nicholas Walters in his next bout.

Donaire (32-2, 21 KO) struggled mightily in a rematch with Vic Darchinyan this past Saturday night, and was losing on all three scorecards when he stopped the Armenian in the ninth round. Had he not managed that, Donaire likely would have lost his second in a row, and this time to a guy who was supposed to be there to make him look good and give him renewed confidence.

There is plenty of talk -- aided by Donaire's own admissions -- that Nonito just doesn't have the passion for boxing anymore that he once did. He and his wife Rachel had their first child this year, and there's just more to Donaire's life these days than the boxing game. That's a great thing for Nonito personally, but a dangerous thing when fighting at the highest levels of the sport. Everyone knows that boxing is cruel and unforgiving, and if your heart's not in it, it's really tough to stay successful against top opponents.

Walters (23-0, 19 KO) holds the WBA featherweight title. As Arum says, he's technically limited, but hits very hard. He stopped also-ran Alberto Garza in four rounds on the off-TV undercard this past Saturday. He's pretty much totally unproven, but he holds a world title.