Donaire?s Star on the Rise
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 26 Dec 2012
MANILA(PNA) -Three-division world boxing champion Nonito Donaire Jr. doesn?t want to accept it yet but slowly, but surely, ?The Filipino Flash? is fast coming up to his billing as Manny Pacquiao?s heir apparent based on the new list of pound-for-pound best released by all award-giving bodies.
Donaire?s sensational third round demolition of Mexican Jorge Arce in successfully keeping his World Boxing Organization super-bantamweight crowns plus three earlier victories over world-class opponents in a rather busy four-fight 2012, catapulted the 30-year-old Filipino-American to a high no. 4 in one of ranking entities and fifth in three.
A pair of losses in only a two-fight schedule for the year, saw the 34-year-old Pacquiao drop considerably in the standing he topped for almost four years since retiring legendary Oscar DeLa Hoya in 2008 until last year.
Pacquiao lost his WBO welterweight diadem to undefeated American Timothy Bradley in a controversial split decision last June the suffered his first knockout defeat in more than two decades at the hands of long-time Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez last December 8.
The San Leandro-based soon-to-be father Donaire is rated fourth by About.com pound-for-pound ranking and fifth by The Ring Magazine, Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated and sixth by ESPN.
How Donaire couldn?t place no higher than 11th in the Boxrec.com rankings despite the Fil-Am?s sweeping all his four fights the past 12 months, a rarity in this era.
Donaire started his successful year last February by beating Wilfredo Vazauez via split decision to stash away with the vacant WBO 122-pound diadem, following this up with a unanimous verdict over Jeffrey Mathebula to add the IBF super-bantamweight belt to his collection four months later.
He next took the World Boxing Council Diamond super-bantam crown at the expense of Japanese Toshiaki Nishioka in October before capping the year with that third round stoppage of Arce.
For that efforts, Donaire barged into the million-dollar man column of the sweet science discipline, still far from the $25 million to $30 million purse reserved only for Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and others who came before him, but said, in an earlier interview with the Paople?s Journal, I?ll come to that.?
?I?m not a man in a hurry, so to speak,? Donaire told this reporter in a chance meeting in the Philippine Airlines flight 105 to Manila from San Francisco Tuesday last week. ?But, of course, aim for becoming the top in my own class and at the same time earn more than what I am now.?
?And can only do that by fighting, fighting and fighting,? he said. ?I?ll be fighting the same way I fought this year. I want to unified the super-bantamweight class, fight the champions of the different alphabetical bodies then move to higher level in featherweight and, probably lightweight.?
Donaire denied though he is chasing Pacquiao?s record eight belts in as many weight divisions, saying, ?No, I can?t do that. Manny?s a class act, but I can move a few more, perhaps.?
?What I can probably aspire for is more respect, which should I succeed, I will give good fights,like what Manny?s been doing? he said. ?For the moment, I want to be the best in my division.?
Pacquiao, who at one time or another held world titles in flyweight, super-bantamweight, featherweight, super-featherweight, lightweight, light-welterweight, welterweight and light-middleweight,on the other hand, is ranked sixth in the Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated and About.com rankings, seventh by Rind Magazine and a low 15th by Boxrec.com. Marquez is rated second by Boxrec.com behind Floydd Mayweather Jr., who incidentally, topped the list in all recognizing bodies, third by the Ring Magazine, Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated, fourth by ESPN and fifth BY About.com.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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