THE FLASH IN AUTUMN
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 20 Oct 2014
One of the saddest sights in boxing is watching a great fighter being dominated by a younger and stronger opponent.
That sounds a bit strange considering that Nonito Donaire entered the ring as a 31 year old. But this was his first knockout loss in a thirteen year pro career. Being a master boxer and tactician, fans are not used to seeing him getting battered, bleeding and knocked down. Donaire was widely acclaimed as the Fighter of the Year two years ago. But the 2012 accolade and his past awards - Upset of the year and KO of the year 2007 and another KO of the year in 2011- seems like a lifetime ago.
After being brutalized by Nicholas ?Axeman? Walters in six rounds, the question needs to be asked ? Is the Filipino Flash?s best work behind him?
Donaire (33W-3L,21 KO?s) boxed well in a few sequences but Walters (25W-0L,21 KO?s) easily managed to close the gap. Donaire?s timing was a bit off and he missed a lot of hooks. He engaged in close quarter exchanges which was Walters? territory.
We've all heard the cliches - you can't teach power, a good big man will always beat a good little man, power is the great equalizer, etc, and Donaire has climbed and distinguished himself in five weight divisions to reach this point.
This is not to take anything away from the 28 year old Walters who fight a great fight, but another question raised after the fight is whether the featherweight division is a good fit for Donaire? He will have to deliberate his options with his team. Going down to 122 is a practical option. Donaire has the skill level to bounce back. But one of the points that he will have to ponder is if he is still willing to go through the hellish training needed to stay at the top level.
Nonito is happy as a family man and we trust that he will make the right decisions. For one thing, he should not allow himself to be used as a stepping stone. We want our champions to leave the sport in good health.
If Donaire decides to hang up his gloves, we will remember him for being a significant part of Philippine boxing's Golden Age. If he decides to fight on, then we wish him luck. He remains one of our best.
Photo: Referee Raul Caiz Jr (R) counts on Nonito Donaire Jr who was sent to the canvas by power puncher Nicholas Walters during their WBA world title fight Saturday night at the Stubhub Center in Carson, CA. Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank.
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