It’s only a matter of time before Nonito Donaire Jr. wins another title but at the moment, he’s an uncrowned champion.
Donaire relinquished his IBF flyweight title when he fought Rafael Concepcion to win the interim WBA superflyweight championship in Las Vegas last August. The interim crown is virtually insignificant and won’t get you into the record books. In fact, Concepcion once held the same title, which he won by halting A. J. Banal in Cebu last year.
For Concepcion, the motivation in fighting Donaire wasn’t to regain the interim crown but to add the Filipino to his list of victims. To show he didn’t care for the title, Concepcion showed up way over the limit at the weigh-in and refused to take the two-hour allowance to reduce. The Panamanian knew Donaire wouldn’t back out of the fight, no matter how much he weighed, so he figured on using the extra poundage as an advantage. The trick worked somewhat as Concepcion, who outweighed Donaire by over 10 pounds at the bell, never went down. But still, Concepcion couldn’t bring down the Filipino who won handily on the three judges’ scorecards – 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.
The interim title entitles the holder to demand a shot at the “regular” crown regardless of his ranking. That means Donaire has a foot in the championship door. Now it’s up to Top Rank chairman Bob Arum and manager Cameron Dunkin to pressure the WBA to force “regular” champion Nobuo Nashiro of Japan to stake his belt against Donaire who’s ready, willing and able to fight anywhere, anytime for a second crown. Nashiro retained his title via a split 12-round draw with Mexican challenger Hugo Cazares in Osaka last Wednesday.
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Donaire, 26, was described as “unsung” by writer Danny Flexen in a recent issue of Boxing News, the world’s oldest fight game publication (100 years old). Despite Donaire’s sensational one-punch knockout win over previously unbeaten Vic Darchinyan two years ago, Flexen said the Filipino Flash still hasn’t captured the imagination of the boxing cognoscenti.
“Maybe the one-sided nature of his three flyweight title defenses (against Luis Maldonado, Moruti Mthalane and Raul Martinez) and a lack of ‘name’ opposition offer clues to Donaire’s lack of star power,” said Flexen.
However, Flexen said Donaire has the tools to transcend. “He speaks fluent English so there is no language barrier plus he has an exciting, clinical style,” continued Flexen who called the wins over the three forgettable challengers as “more exhibitions than keenly-fought contests.”
But Flexen conceded, “Donaire still impressed with his power – his left hook and left uppercut both carry dynamite – patience and punch selection but he is crying out for a challenge.” He also said “Donaire knows when to strike and is chillingly accurate.”
In dismantling Concepcion, Boxing News writer Kenneth Sam-Bouhairie said Donaire did his best impersonation of Oscar de la Hoya (when the Golden Boy battled Tito Trinidad) as the Panamanian repeatedly bored in, providing heavy pressure, as if to show he couldn’t be hurt by the Filipino’s punches. Sam-Bouhairie meant Donaire used his superior boxing skills to fend off the rampaging Concepcion.
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But what impressed Sam-Bouhairie was Donaire’s ability to adjust from boxer to puncher and back.
“The house fighter closed like a warrior,” he wrote, referring to Donaire’s billing in Top Rank’s “Pinoy Power 2” show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. “Donaire dominated the championship rounds. No word on whether he’s finally settled on being a boxer or a brawler but he’ll need a little of each if a showdown against Jorge Arce comes off.”
Donaire’s resiliency was put to an acid test and he passed with flying colors. Sam-Bouhairie recalled that in the second round, Donaire was rocked by a counter left hook to the cheek but fearlessly continued to trade. “The bout was close through the first five rounds,” he added. “Donaire switched to boxing in the sixth but Concepcion had an answer for that as well, unveiling a stiff jab and more body blows. Donaire settled down in the seventh. A beautiful left uppercut followed by a right wobbled Concepcion.”
The weigh-in circumstances surrounding Donaire’s win were similar to what happened before the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez fight last week. Mayweather tipped the scales two pounds over the catchweight limit but Marquez decided to fight anyway. As it turned out, Mayweather used his weight to full advantage and Marquez couldn’t cope. That made Donaire’s victory over Concepcion even more impressive because he did it despite the weight disparity.
Donaire expects to return to action in December, hoping it will be a title fight possibly against Arce’s conqueror, newly crowned IBF superflyweight champion Simphiwe Nonggayi. A convincing win over the stylish South African who boasts a 16-0 record, with six KOs, for his second world title will establish a strong case for Donaire’s claim to superstardom. Nonggayi beat Arce for the vacant IBF title via a unanimous 12-round decision in Mexico recently.
