On the Showtime Championship Boxing undercard of Antonio Tarver and Danny Santiago this Saturday night at 9 pm ET, Nonito Donaire makes the first defense of his IBF flyweight title.
Last July Donaire knocked out Vic Darchinyan and in doing so, he slayed a supposed dragon. The problem with dragon slaying is that once the animal is dead, people start wondering if it was all that dangerous to begin with.
Back in 1990, Mike Tyson was the dragon of the heavyweights and ?Buster? Douglas grabbed the short end of 42-1 odds and beat Tyson down with them. Unfortunately, after Douglas whipped a mythical dragon in Tyson, he faced a real man in Evander Holyfield.
Soon thereafter, any regard for Douglas?s achievement in Tokyo had virtually vaporized.
The only way for Donaire to prove that the Darchinyan fight wasn?t a fluke, or that the Aussie wasn?t simply overrated in the first place, is to win repeatedly and if he can, convincingly.
?I still have a lot to prove,? said Donaire. ?People call me a ?one hit wonder,? but I will continue to fight to build my name and improve myself.?
This Saturday Donaire faces Luis Maldonado, a stick and move Mexican with some good power but a light resume. At 37-1-1 with 28 KOs, Maldonado, 29, has had plenty of fights; it?s just that only nine of them were against opponents with winning records. Only two of Maldonado?s last five opponents had winning records and one of those was his only loss?a knockout at the hands of Darchinyan.
A dragon he ain?t.
At only 25, Donaire has time on his side and plenty of talent to work with. The 18-1 (11) ?Filipino Flash? has hand speed, decent defense, and excellent power delivered with proper technique. He sometimes relies too heavily on his power instead of allowing his skills to bring the KO to him, but overall he?s an exciting fighter with plenty of upside.
Donaire, along with his sister and two brothers, were raised by their grandparents in the Philippines from the time he was seven until his parents, who had moved to the US, sent for them. His older brother, Glenn, enjoyed success as an amateur, inspiring Nonito to follow his example.
Following a loss to Rosendo Sanchez in 2001, Donaire progressed steadily while at the same time encouraging his brother?s professional aspirations. The elder Donaire?s career stalled when he lost to Darchinyan by technical decision in October 2006, while Nonito snagged the vacant NABF title by beating Kahren Haratyunyan earlier in the year.
Against Darchinyan, Donaire took five rounds to time the champion?s haymakers and then countered a winging right with a compact left hook that separated Darchinyan from his IBF and IBO belts and his senses.
Darchinyan is a wild-swinging power puncher in the mold of Naseem Hamed and Stanley Ketchel, though neither Hamed nor Darchinyan have the chin or Hall of Fame credentials of Ketchel. Given Darchinyan?s style, the most impressive facet of Donaire?s victory over him wasn?t the sensational one-punch knockout, it was the poise with which he handled the free wheeling slugger?s style, and the patience he showed in setting up the climactic ?one punch.?
Maldonado isn?t likely to stand in front of Donaire and test the Filipino?s power, but will likely use lateral movement and a jab to upset the champion?s rhythm and keep him from creating a good foundation for his punches.
If that doesn?t sound like an exciting fight, you?re probably right, but what a 25-year-old with 19 fights needs more than excitement is experience. He may not knock Maldonado out, but he will learn how to win ugly. That?s a valuable skill.
There are exciting fights on the horizon for Donaire, at bantamweight with Jorge Arce of Mexico, and a fight with WBC Super Flyweight Champion, Cristian Mijares would also be possible.
Those fights would be at a more natural weight for Donaire, since he dropped to 112 for Darchinyan and at 25, is likely to gain a pound or two as he gets older. By then, if everything goes well, people will talk less about the dragon he slayed and more about the men he beat.
