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Philippines, 25 Apr 2024 |
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Donaire?s move to Golden Boy is a career choice PhilBoxing.com Thu, 17 Mar 2011  Nonito Donaire sure knows to make headlines. It all started with his masterful devastation of bantamweight title holder Fernando Montiel in February with a masterful KO of a punch that saw his boxing stocks rise up the charts in the competitive boxing market. His recent headline making developments does not particularly involve boxing alone. His very public feud with his family was a daily course of discussion and because of the internet was not solely limited to the Filipino media. It was thankfully resolved by the Donaires putting the matter to closure. His feud with certain media personalities is also an open book to all, considering it was aired out in the open via the internet, Facebook and Twitter. And today, the recent talks about him bolting Top Rank Boxing is finally confirmed. The top news in boxing today was not anything about a future fight or a promotion of a fight to be held in the coming weeks. It is Nonito Donaire?s signing with Golden Boy Promotions. A move that opened up much discussion, questions and curiosity in the boxing world. His signing with GBP means closing the door on Bob Arum?s Top Rank Promotions which promoted Donaire since 2008. A move that will open up lawsuits and counter lawsuits because Top Rank insists that it has ? a valid and enforceable contract? with the Filipino - American boxer. A notion that executives of Golden Boy and Donaire himself doesn?t necessarily share. Donaire insists that his contract with Top Rank ends in May and that he is a free agent after that. Golden Boy, after review and advise from its legal counsel that the said fact is with merit, put on a move on the hottest free agent in boxing today. The result was a press release issued today confirming that indeed the ?Filipino Flash? has signed with Golden Boy Promotions. I don?t want to delve on the talk of its legality nor the sentiments of others with Donaire?s move. I want to look at what this career move brings for him in his table with regards to possible boxing matches in the future. His fight in May with fellow bantam title holder Anselmo Moreno is still a unconfirmed fact. It is a fight that Top Rank wants to make but talks are that the Panamanian belt holder is asking for more money than what Top rank is offering. A report from the boxing website, Boxingscene.com on 3/11/2011 mentions of an unverified offer of a four fight deal to Moreno not by Top Rank but by Golden Boy Promotions. (See link here). If this reports are true and given today?s developments, then this looks like the first order of business for Donaire and Golden Boy. Not only did Golden Boy stole Donaire from Top Rank, it also brought his future opponent with him and most of all, stole the very fight that Top rank is feverishly working on. Golden Boy sure did score big against its rival Top rank, if this materializes. But besides Moreno, Golden Boy has on it?s stable a marquee player in the bantamweight division. Enter IBO and WBC Silver bantamweight titlist, Abner Mares. The undefeated Mexican is part of Showtime?s four- man single elimination tournament where he just came off a win over. .guess who? Vic Darchinyan. The same Vic Darchinyan that Donaire knocked out in 2007 to win his flyweight belts. Mares will face IBF bantamweight title holder Joseph Agbeko on April 23,2011 on the tournament?s championship night in Los Angeles, Ca. The winner will unify both belts in that hot division. Mares is favored to come up with a win. A win by him will set up a mega fight between the stars and belt holders of the bantamweight division. All belts will be on the line if that happens. Donaire currently holds the WBC, WBO, WBA and The Ring magazine bantamweight world titles. Imagine all this hardware at stake, plus the chance to be boxing? s undisputed champion. A title only few has achieved. This is all for the marbles indeed. Two young stars in Donaire and Mares who are on their way up ,fighting to become part of boxing? s reserved few at this early in their career. If this fight does not make your boxing mouth water, then I don?t know what will. This fight won?t be possible if Donaire is tied with Top Rank owing to Arum?s preference of in- house matchmaking. If there is something to be excited about Donaire?s move, this fight is it. Donaire also expressed willingness to move up in weight, mentioning he could go as far as a featherweight (126 lbs.) and/or a super featherweight (130 lbs.) That brought speculations of a possible match with featherweight stars Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa. Both of which are under the Top rank banner. That was one of the fan?s main concern with Donaire leaving Top Rank, knowing it will be impossible now for those fights to happen. But that is not a pressing matter at this point of Donaire?s career. That is way too long of a goal to focused on. It is way too early to think of these fights. Lopez and Gamboa should fight each other first for featherweight supremacy. Donaire does not need to be involved in that yet. There are more lucrative and big fights in the bantamweight division with Moreno and Mares in the mix. A fight in the higher class will be a future task. If he does decide to move up to that division though, Lopez and Gamboa aren?t the only the featherweight stars. There is one by the name of Chris John. The accomplished Indonesian who has held the title since 2003, making him one of the longest tenured belt holder in the division. John clearly has the better resume of the three in the featherweight ranks. He has a record of 44 wins with no defeat and 2 draws. And yes, Golden Boy promotes Chris John, making this a big possibility for Donaire if he decides to try his mettle in that ranks. Golden Boy also has the likes of Israel Vasquez, Jhonny Gonzales, Rocky Juarez whom Chris John fought recently, Antonio Escalante and Daniel Ponce de Leon (who is rated at the featherweight ratings but recently fought at junior lightweight/super featherweight.)in its fold besides John. And if Donaire decides to move up to the super featherweights, Golden Boy has even plenty of stars to offer for his taking besides De Leon. Adrien Broner and Jorge Linares are the notables that Golden Boy has in its stables. A fight with Jason Litzau and Celestino Caballero are also a big possibility owing that they fought under Golden Boy events in the past. So there is no indeed a shortage of stars for Donaire to make those big fights with Golden Boy. Fans of the Filipino Flash need not worry. Who knows, what will happen in the future with Lopez or Gamboa. Boxers seek fights that make the most buck and it is not highly impossible that if the call warrants for a Donaire vs. Lopez/Gamboa in the future, then I am sure that things will turn up for it to be made. The move to Golden Boy isn?t solely a business decision for Nonito Donaire. It also looks like to be a good career move for him. And who can blame him for it. We all seek greener pastures. We all look for opportunities to further our livelihood and careers ourselves. We explore for options in our jobs and employment that will give us the best benefit economically and vocationally. Boxing is not an exception. It is a career Nonito Donaire chose. It is not a regular job. It is one where life and limb is at stake every time he reports for work. It is a career he should look after for by earning the best possible revenue from it. We all know of boxing?s short life span. It is but wise to make the most out of it, right? This is a career he should and is taking care of now. No one can make the decision for himself but he and his family alone. Just like the rest of us when facing a similar situation. We do what we decide is best for ourselves, our family and our future. That is what Nonito Donaire is doing right now. There is nothing wrong in that. Isn?t it? Click here for a complete listing of columns by this author. Click here for a complete listing of this author's articles from different news sources. |
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