A FATHER'S UNDYING LOVE FOR NONITO, JR.; BOXING CHAMP APOLOGIZES TO BRAVEHEART
By Manny Piñol
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 07 Mar 2011
Davao City, The Philippines, 9 a.m. March 7 - There is no greater love than a father has for a son.
A few minutes after philboxing.com posted my latest column which was interpreted by some as a death threat directed at world bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, Jr., I received a frantic call from the father, Nonito Sr., who sounded very concerned.
The column "Bullet Is Faster Than a Sonic Boom Punch" which I wrote earlier today was an offshoot of a post made in the Facebook wall of boxing champion Nonito Donaire, Jr. where he blasted me and at two more journalists for allegedly writing negative stories about his family and threatened us with his "Sonic Boom" punch.
"My wife is so worried. On behalf of my son, I ask for your understanding and I apologize," said Nonito Sr., a dear friend who also helped train my boxers in the past.
Nonito Sr. asked me if I could talk to his son by phone and when I said "Yes," he immediately gave me the boxing champion's number.
"Gov, I apologize for what appeared (in the Facebook account where he threatened to give me a sample of the Sonic Boom punch that knocked out Fernando Montiel) there," Nonito Jr. said when he received my call.
He explained that the threatening post that appeared in his Facebook wall was prepared by "his people" who are responding to all the negative stories they get from the media and he was not aware that my name was included among the list of targets of the Sonic Boom punch.
Apparently, a group of people close to him and the Marcial family monitor all of the negative stories and posts in the Internet and respond to all of these without necessarily clearing it with Nonito, Jr. Wrong strategy if you ask me but that's how they want to do things.
"I have known you for a long time and I know you and Papang are very close friends and you are like an uncle to me," he told me.
It was a heartwarming statement and I responded by telling him he has to end his "war" with the media.
"There is no way you can win this fight against the media. This will be a burden to you and you have to declare a truce," I told him.
Nonito Jr. said he will keep silent from now on but added that he could not prevail on the family of his wife, the Marcials, which is locked in a bitter war of words with journalist Chino Trinidad of GMA 7.
"That's their personal quarrel and while I understand that you will have to support your wife because she is your wife,
just stay in the sideline and be silent," I advised him.
I also assured him, and earlier his father, that there was nothing sinister in the last line of my column where I wrote: "And remember this, a bullet travels faster than a punch" which was interpreted by some, including Donaire Jr.'s PR men as a death threat.
I assured him and his father that it was just an allegorical statement to emphasize that you cannot outdo and outdraw everybody.
"You have to know me to understand that if you hit me, I will hit back," I told him.
The conversation ended with a promise that he will call me up when he gets to the Philippines.
"Be humble, you will be a great champion," was my last advice for which he thanked me for profusely.
Well, all's well that ends well. Apologies accepted.
But I cannot help but admire the love and concern shown by his father, Nonito Sr., to a son who gave him a lot of heartaches and pain until they reconciled just a few days ago.
Talk of fatherly love.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Manny Piñol.
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