MANILA, Philippines ? Over the course of Nonito Donaire Jr?s 15-year long boxing career, the boxer known as ?The Filipino Flash? has won world titles in 4 different divisions, been named Fighter of the Year (2012) by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and carved out an almost certain Hall of Fame career. Up until now, one thing he hasn?t done yet is fight on the undercard of a Manny Pacquiao event.
Donaire will finally get to cross that off his to-do list on November 5 when he makes his mandatory defense of the WBO junior featherweight title against Jessie Magdaleno, an undefeated but untested southpaw underneath the Pacquiao vs Jessie Vargas WBO welterweight title fight at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. It?s long been one of those questions, with many wondering why the second Filipino boxer to ever win titles in more than two weight classes had never fought on the undercard of the most famous Filipino athlete ever.
After all, Donaire says he first signed with Top Rank in 2008 under the presumption that he?d be featured underneath Pacquiao?s fights and be exposed to his Filipino fanbase. It?d seem a natural pairing, so why hadn?t it happened until now?
Donaire says he?d been told by Pacquiao that it would happen, but that his fights were ?blocked? by Pacquiao?s adviser Michael Koncz for one reason or another. The only reason it?s finally happening, Donaire says, is because Top Rank owed him another fight this year and had no other suitable cards to put him on.
?I asked [Pacquiao] personally a few years ago and he agreed, but somehow some way it never happened. It?s definitely someone in the camp that?s not making it happen for me,? said Donaire (37-3, 24 knockouts).
?It?s always been blocked by Koncz, always been blocked by Manny?s people. That?s pretty much what it all comes down to.?
But why? Koncz had previously opposed Donaire fighting on the Pacquiao vs Chris Algieri card in Macau in 2014, saying Donaire?s fights were ?not going to generate any actual additional income? on a Pacquiao card. Donaire offered another explanation. ?I know that in the past [MP Promotions] wanted to sign me but I refused to sign with them and I guess that?s the reason why they never put me on their cards.?
Koncz, for his part, tells Rappler in an email that Donaire is ?a want to be star?making unfound (sic) accusations of something he has no personal knowledge of or knows nothing about.? He also voiced displeasure in Donaire’s recent remarks to FightHype criticizing the Philippine senator’s performance as a politician.
“Rather than criticizing the senator, he should be great full (sic) that he was allowed to fight on our under card as he can not even sell out The Theater in New York Madison Square Garden,” added Koncz.
