INSIDE SPORTS: TRIBUTE TO AN EXEMPLARY CHAMPION
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 25 Dec 2007
When Nonito Donaire was training to fight cocky, undefeated Vic Darchinyan for the IBF and IBO flyweight titles nobody really gave him much of a chance of winning let alone surviving the vaunted punching power of Darchinyan.
The fact that he had broken the jaw of Nonito?s elder brother Glenn Donaire in a title fight several months earlier sort of confirmed the devastating power of Darchinyan athough Glenn claimed his jaw was hurt by an illegal shot with the elbow.
Whatever it was, Darchinyan who had also demolished Diosdado Gabi in eight rounds was considered, at the very least, a formidable champion and almost impossible to beat.
Fight fans, especially in the Philippines, with perhaps one or two exceptions among journalists who had spoken to Donaire?s trainer/father Nonito Donaire Sr and adopted his prediction of a knockout win, figured Donaire would do well to survive. But all of us didn?t reckon with the courage of ?The Filipino Flash? neither did we honestly recognize just how skilful a fighter he was although we had seen some of his fights on Boy Cantada?s ?Fistorama? boxing show and realized he had promise.
Not only did Donaire outbox and out-punch the awesome Aussie he was his master in the ring, virtually toying with Darchinyan before taking him out with a picture-perfect, counter left hook in the fifth round. It was a totally impressive performance and a stoppage executed with precision that stemmed from Donaire?s supreme confidence in himself and a belief in his trainer and father whose calm, cool and quiet efficiency in the corner added another meaningful dimension to the conquest.
The Donaire victory signaled a flush of two titles for the belt-starved Philippines in two days as Florante Condes followed Donaire?s feat by winning the IBF minimum weight crown with a unanimous decision over Indonesia?s Muhammad Rachman in Jakarta.
More recently Donaire defended his title with another masterful performance against tough and resilient Mexican Luis Maldonado despite signs of trouble brewing within the Donaire camp. He also had a problem with his legs caused by long hours of travel and lack of time to re-acclimatize in the US after a quality training stint in the Philippines that did him a lot of good.
The one thing that almost immediately endeared Donaire to Filipinos aside from the fact that he is a legitimate world champion with not one but two belts, is the fact that all throughout his ring career he never failed to wear the Philippine flag on his trunks and proudly proclaim being Filipino although he had lived for many years in the US. Somehow it reminded us of a former champion whose father in particular often stressed he was more Hawaiian-American than Filipino. But that?s another story.
Not only did Donaire refuse to take offense that very few Filipinos gave him a chance against Darchinyan, he was happy to prove them wrong and to win them over. He always speaks with fervor about his Filipino heritage and his pride in his country and people.
Nonito Donaire is no flash in the pan as we?ve said before. He is, in most respects, the real deal and a young man we can all take pride in?not just in his achievements as a genuine world champion but more so because he is a decent, proper, well brought up young man who shows respect for others and earns his own. He draws strength from his humble if not poor beginnings and is committed to take care of his family as best he could now that he is slowly breaking away from the shackles of their childhood poverty.
Our valued friend Nigel Collins informed us the other day that Nonito Donaire won the Ring Magazine award for the ?Upset of the Year? as well as the ?Knockout of the Year.? In our humble assessment, Nonito Donaire should be the prestigious Philippine Sportswriters Association ?Athlete of the Year? ? by a knockout! It will be a fitting tribute to a truly exemplary young Filipino champion.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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