Heeding to Nature or Relying on the Magic of Modern Science in Boxing (Last Part )
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 06 Mar 2022
Nonito Donaire's epic journey back to lower weight classes could impact boxing going forward.
The popular saying in boxing or sports in general for that matter is that one cannot struggle for long against Father Time.
There is a long list of boxers or athletes who faced inglorious or ignominious end to their otherwise highly distinguished careers because they can no longer defy old or well advanced age.
There's Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Roy Jones, Jr and our own Flash Elorde and Manny Pacquiao to remind us, "We cannot beat Father Time."
But there's an even more telling and encompassing old Chinese saying that also applies to sports, boxing in particular: "Man cannot fight nature."
Modern Boxing Feats: Effects of Nature or Science
One poser: Are modern day boxing feats the cause and effect of nature or because of so called scientific reforms and interventions?
For instance, is there a connection between the changes implemented in professional boxing starting in the 1980s as the reduction of championship bout length from 15 to 12 rounds and the changing the schedule of official weigh in from the day of the fight to the day before of the fight and the rash of boxing records set since then?
One cannot tell for sure. Including the factor of increased scientific interventions in the strategic development of boxers which includes their optimum fighting weights, training, diet and conditioning as these interventions are available, accessible and most importantly affordable.
By the 60s and 70s, the standing record for the most world division championships won was three jointly shared by old timers Tony Canzoneri (featherweight, lightweight and junior welterweight) and Henry Armstrong who simultaneously held world titles at featherweight, lightweight and welterweight.
As mentioned earlier, mainly through natural means, Manny Pacquiao managed to set the present day record of eight world division world championships as he successfully carried his speed and power in scaling the weights from flyweight (112 lbs) through the super welterweight (154lbs) bypassing the super flyweight and bantamweight from 1998 -2009.
Incidentally, Pacquiao was just one of the numerous fighters since the 1980s to win world boxing titles in at least four weight classes since Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran started the race to capture as many world championships while moving up.
How difficult is winning four world titles going up in weight? Well, for one, as specially gifted and dominating as he was in his previous three divisions, the explosive Alexis Arguello failed in his try for a fourth world crown at super lightweight, getting knocked out twice by Aaron Pryor.
Before Pacquiao came, Oscar De La Hoya held the record of six division world championships, winning his from the super featherweight (130) through the middleweight (160). Oscar broke the record of five which he jointly held with Leonard and Hearns in beating Germany's Felix Sturm for the WBO middleweight crown in 2004.
Significantly, on his way to winning his then record breaking seventh division world championship at super lightweight versus Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao stopped and subsequently retired Oscar in a catchweight welterweight super fight in 2008.
Two other Filipino fighters are considered as quadruple or four divisions world boxing champions namely Nonito Donaire and Donnie Nietes.
But curiously, Donaire is currently still a reigning world titlist after moving back three years ago to the bantamweights (118 lbs) after fighting as high as the featherweight (126 lbs). In fact, Nonito has now won world titles in the bantamweight three times since his first in 2010 in addition to becoming world super bantamweight champion twice.
The Curious Case of Nonito Donaire
Nonito Donaire is a curious case of a fighter who was forced to fight below and then to fight above his natural effective weight quite quickly in his prime and now in his advancing age is trying to recapture his lost prime and glory campaigning back in the bantamweight after going as high as the featherweight.
Boxing has no record of a fighter who has done this before. And quite successfully at that.
Nonito started as a pro as a flyweight and later a super flyweight before in his desire to avenge the brutal loss of his brother Glenn at the hands of then reigning IBF world flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan, prompted to move back down a few pounds to challenge the vicious Armenian.
Nonito first gained notice and fame when he knocked out Darchinyan to win the IBF crown and then successfully defended the belt by stopping a bevy of tough challengers that included South African Moruthi Mthalane and Mexicans Luis Maldonado and Raul Martinez.
He soon moved up to super flyweight and defeated on points Luis Concepcion for the WBA interim world belt and defended against Tyson Marquez whom he knocked out in Manila.
Nonito failed to secure a regular world title fight at super flyweight and decided to move up again to the bantamweight and won a minor international title by becoming the first man to knock out ex-world titlist Russian Vlodimir Sidorenko.
Nonito wrested the WBO and IBO world bantamweight crown when he dropped and stopped murderous punching Mexican defending champion Fernando Montiel in 2011. A projected unification versus Ruben Mares fell through when Mares moved up to the super bantamweights forcing Nonito to make a title defense defeating Omar Narvaez on points.
Hardly a year in his stint and reign at bantamweight, another break prompted Nonito to move up further in weight as he was matched against Puerto Rico's power punching Wilfredo Vasquez Jr for the latter's WBO super bantamweight belt. Nonito won his second division world title by outpointing Vasquez Jr.
Feeling very strong in the division, Nonito sought to unify all belts thereat and succeeded in adding the IBF and WBC trinkets by ravishing wins over Jeffrey Mathebula and Toshiaki Nishioka while inserting a title defense, all in a matter of one year via smashing TKO win over another tough foe, Jorge Arce who was the first Mexican fighter to win four division world titles himself from the minimumweight.
But it seemed Nonito overreached himself and in his next bout, he was outsmarted and outpointed by Cuban defensive master boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2012.
Nonito and his handlers thought it better to move to the next higher weight, the featherweight and after another KO win over old foe Vic Darchinyan, he bagged the WBA featherweight super championship by disqualification over rugged South African Simphiwe Vetyeka.
But again, Nonito's journey in his move up the scales tattered when in his first defense, he lost his world title by knockout to the tall and powerful Jamaican Nicholas Walters.
Going back to the drawing board, Nonito and his camp decided that the featherweight was too much for him and he would be better off going back down to the super bantamweights.
Hence, Nonito campaigned again in the 122 lbs and for a while, it worked as he strung up a series of wins culminating in his winning again the WBO super bantamweight title by bruising points win over bullstrong Cesar Juarez.
After a successful defense against Zsolt Bedak whom he kayoed in three rounds, Nonito lost his world crown to Jessie Magdaleno on points in late 2016.
After a lengthy inactivity, Nonito decided to again try his luck at featherweight.
He defeated Ruben Garcia Hernandez for the WBC International featherweight belt and a short while later he was pitted against fellow weight climber Carl Frampton of the UK for the WBO interim featherweight title.
It was in this fight against Frampton that Nonito finally determined he was no longer effective fighting above bantamweight and decided with his camp to move all the way back down to 118 lbs which he said he could still comfortably make.
As if providentially in 2018, the World Boxing Super Series second season was launched to come up with one true unified world champion in each weight class and it included the bantamweights where Nonito was among the seeded competitors.
Seeded eighth and last, Nonito was pitted against top seeds WBA super champion Ryan Burnett of the UK in the first round. In an upset which was not totally unexpected, Nonito bombed Burnett with head and body punches which experts suspected was a factor in the Briton retiring from the fight allegedly for recurrent hip injury.
By then already the new WBA bantamweight super belt holder, Nonito was ranged next against WBO titlist Zolani Tete in the tournament's semifinals. But Tete withdrew from the competition due to injury and American boxer Stephon Young was inserted as replacement. Nonito scored a spectacular one punch knockout over Young and arranged a final meeting against Naoya Inoue who won the IBF crown in his semis fight against Emanuel Rodriguez by 2nd round knockout.
Nonito fought valiantly and even came close to knocking out Inoue if not for the Japanese resilience in that WBSS bantamweight tournament finals held in Japan which he lost by unanimous decision.
Far from diminishing Nonito, that gallant defeat even raised his stock so much that the WBC installed him as the mandatory challenger for its champion Nordine Oubaali.
It took a circuitous route through the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic which forced him into hiatus but Nonito Donaire eventually became world bantamweight champion again when he knocked out the Frenchman in 2021. He even inserted a maiden title defense knockout erstwhile undefeated Filipino challenger Reymart Gaballo.
Nonito's continuing journey back in the lower weights is now part of a still developing story that could impact boxing going forward with respect to the influence of nature and science to this ancient fight sport.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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