THERE was a time some years ago when Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire was being groomed as the heir-apparent to eight-division world champion and sporting hero MannyPacquiao.
Nonito, however, consistently shunned the accolade in fairness to him as he insisted there was only one Manny Pacquiao and he wanted to carve his own identity as Nonito Donaire,“The Filipino Flash.”
At that time, Nonito was named “Fighter of the Year” by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2012 and was elevated to the prestigious Ring Magazine pound-for-pound rankings at No. 5.
Donaire reached these heights and accomplished what he did, largely due to his innate talent anchored on speed, power and ring savvy.
Unlike Pacquiao, who trained relentlessly for every fight, Donaire had a tendency to take off when he didn’t feel like training and failed to watch his diet, often resulting in having to shed off an average of six pounds on the eve of the official weigh-in.
Sooner than later as knowledgeable boxing men predicted, Nonito paid the price for his refusal to train hard and to take things easy, believing that in the end, his inborn talent would prevail.
He also appeared to be totally engrossed in his wife Rachel, who was expecting their first child some time before his WBO and WBA super bantamweight title defense against two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux at the famed Radio City Music Hall in New York. He took the former amateur standout lightly and lost a 12-round unanimous decision.
Although Donaire dropped Rigondeaux with his patented left hook in Round10, he was totally out-boxed by the Cuban in what was regarded as a major upset and one that saw him removed from the pound-for-pound rankings while his following dwindled.
Nonito hardly trained for the fight as his attention was focused on the birth of his first born, a cute bundle of joy named Jarel, which stood for “Jun and Rachel everlasting love”.
Donaire then figured he could redeem himself in a 10-round bout against hard-hitting southpaw Vic Darchinyan, who had been aching for a rematch after Nonito won the IBF and IBO flyweight titles from the Armenian-born Australian with a stunning 5th round knockout in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The win shocked the boxing community by the sheer devastating manner in which Nonito sent his foe staggering across the ring and crashing into the ropes.
The rematch was an altogether different story as Donaire, comfortable in his easy-going training regimen, was losing on the scorecards of two of the three judges. But Darchinyan committed the same mistake he made in their first meeting when he leaned forward and Nonito unleashed a left hook that staggered him and ultimately forced referee Laurence Cole to call a halt at 2:06 of the 9th round, enabling Donaire to escape with a 9th-round TKO in Corpus Christi, Texas on Nov. 9, 2013 in a scheduled 10-round bout he was on the verge of losing.
Donaire had earlier breezed through a string of opponents put in front of him before moving up to super flyweight and then raced ahead in his continuing quest for redemption by winning the Interim WBA title when he out-maneuvered Panama’s Rafael Concepcion.
Along the way, Donaire ripped Volodynyr Sydorenko in four rounds on Dec. 4, 2010 to grab the Continental Americas bantamweight title and just over two months later destroyed Mexico’s highly touted Fernando Montiel in two rounds to win the WBC/WBA bantamweight titles before capping an eventful year by mauling popular Fernando Arce at the Toyota Center in Houston to take the Mexican out in three action-packed rounds.
Rather than grapple with problems of making the weight, Donaire moved up to super featherweight and faced South Africa’s WBA champion Simpiwe Vetyeka in Macau and used a well thought-out strategy to score a 5th-round technical decision and added a fifth title to his trophy room.
With his father “Dodong” Donaire working the corner with trainer Robert Garcia, Donaire, who dropped Vetyeka in the fourth round but had sustained a cut, knew it gave him a two-point cushion and the moment the fifth round started, he told referee Luis Pabon that he couldn’t continue because of the cut. And when Pabon consulted the WBA supervisor, they agreed that the cut was caused by a punch and went to the scorecards which favored Donaire, 49-46, on the tallies of all three judges.
Fighting on that same card was Jamaica’s “Axe Man” Nicholas Walters, who destroyed Darchinyan in five rounds. And when Donaire decided to take on the much bigger and stronger Walters, he was courting trouble as the menacing Jamaican crushed “The Filipino Flash’ in six rounds, dropping him in the 3rd and 6th rounds and cutting short his adventure into the 130-pound division.
There were many who felt it was the end of a career that promised so much. But they didn’t reckon with the fighting spirit of Nonito.
After he had discussed his future with father/trainer “Dodong” and wife Rachel, who were prepared to support whatever decision he made, Nonito was grimly determined to regain his stature as a champion and a star in the world boxing firmament. He quietly but deliberately worked at recapturing the magic of the past.
His charisma, an ability to articulate his thoughts better than most fighters and a certain engaging flair, stood him well and soon, fight fans began to gravitate towards Nonito once again.
In his first comeback fight after being bludgeoned by Walters, Donaire, who wisely returned to the super bantamweight division where he had his most memorable moments, faced Brazil’s William Prado for the vacant North American Boxing Federation title at the Araneta Coliseum on March 20 this year and disposed of the South American in two rounds.
His next opponent on the comeback trail was Frenchman and former European bantamweight champion Anthony Settoul, who was dropped twice in Round 1 and once in Round 2 before referee Danrex Tapdasan decided to stop the one-sided bout.
While there were those who questioned the caliber of Prado and Settoul, who were obviously picked to help Donaire regain his confidence while demonstrating his skill and power, the victories sparked a welcome change in Nonito’s entire makeup in terms of his attitude towards training anchored on a newfound motivation.
In a conversation with us in mid-November, Nonito provided a glimpse of his rejuvenation, when he said he was “ready to box and give it all I’ve got,” in what may well turn out to be a title fight after the WBO stripped Guillermo Rigondeaux of the belt for “inactivity.”
Although his appeal is pending, Rigondeaux’s boring, lackluster showing against Filipino Drian Francisco in a bout which drew resounding boos from fight fans at the Mandalay Bay Events Center may convince the WBO hierarchy it would be better to make the decision stand.
Whatever it is, Donaire who is ranked No. 2 in the 122-pound division, will face No.1-ranked Mexican Cesar Juarez in Puerto Rico on Dec. 13, in a fight to be telecast by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN, which has a tie-up with Donaire and his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.
In a wide-ranging interview with boxingscene.com, Nonito credited his wife Rachel, a national taekwondo champion in the US for his change in attitude towards boxing, conceding that in the past, he didn’t give it his best shot.
“But now, I’m going to give it all I’ve got. If it’s not safe for me, then I’m done,” he said.
Donaire added: “It’s great to be able to have this opportunity again and I want to prove myself, mentally and physically in my performance.”
He admitted that a year ago, he would have brushed it off with whatever, but “this time, I care about it and I’m going to make the best out of it and I’m going to be world champion.”
Donaire told The Standard/boxingmirror.com that he has been sparring 10 rounds with Fidel Navarette, a 24-year-old super featherweight from Highland, Indiana, and 27 year old Fred Bowen, a lightweight from Jackson, Tennessee
“They keep coming at me.But I’m doing really excellently.
I feel great, my mental aspect is on a different level and helps me prepare for this fight. It’s amazing. This is the hardest I have trained for a fight. I am more committed and have direction in my training unlike in the past” Donaire said.
“The Filipino Flash” maintained that whether the WBO strips Guillermo Rigondeaux of the title or not, “it doesn’t matter, I am fighting for victory.”
Dodong Donaire reflected the happiness he feels over the “new” Nonito.
“He is doing good. The training camp has been better than all the previous ones beginning with the first fight against Darchinyan,” said Dodong. “Nonito is 1000 percent mentally and physically fit and ready. He is very motivated.”
Amazing indeed.
That motivation and a new work ethic has given Dodong the confidence to look ahead at a possible title fight against the winner of the all-British showdown between WBA champion Scott Quigg and IBF champion Carl Frampton after his son gets Juarez out of the way.