To some boxing fans, Nonito Donaire is not only the Filipino successor for Manny Pacquiao, but also the heir apparent as the future pound for pound champion. To others, Donaire could be heading for an earlier than anticipated crash. So is Donaire overrated, underrated, or right where he should be?
First, let’s get to the stats. Donaire sports an impressive 29-1 record, with 18 knockouts. His sole loss came in the second fight of his career, so far all intents and purposes, he’s undefeated. He’s a three division titleholder (four, if you’d like to count interim titles) and has been a unified champion in two of those divisions. He’s universally regarded as being in the top 5 pound for pound, although some may have him even higher, in the top 3.
When Nonito Donaire burst onto the scene with his stunning July 2007 knockout over an undefeated Vic Darchinyan, the boxing world was left clamoring for more from the Filipino Flash.
Unfortunately, it took roughly three and a half years until he was in another big fight, his February 2011 showdown with Fernando Montiel. Going into that contest, Donaire was likely underrated by many, even as he was already viewed as a top 10 pound for pound fighter.
Of course, Donaire made another smashing statement against Montiel, ending the fight by knockout in the 2nd Round. It was such a spectacular performance – he’s just so smooth with his offensive arsenal and that devastating left hook – that the hype train immediately began rolling.
He was no longer just Nonito Donaire. He became The Next Manny Pacquiao. Bring on Yuriorkis Gamboa, Juan Manuel Lopez, bring ’em all on, right now. World titles all the way up to Junior Welterweight, matching Pacquiao’s eight-division haul. Let’s do it.
While Donaire is a fantastic fighter, and has earned his current position as one of the best five boxers in the world, projecting him like that is not only unrealistic, it’s unfair.
Donaire is 5′ 6″, and when he moves up to Featherweight, any lingering size advantage he may still hold over some opponents will completely disappear. His power won’t be as devastating as it was at 112 lbs or 115 lbs, and already, his last three fights have gone the distance, the first such stretch of his career.
He’s shown at times that he is hittable, maybe too hittable, which is a problem compounded by both of the above factors: he will be facing bigger, stronger men, and they will be sticking around longer in fights because he can’t knock them out as easily. He turns 30 in November — not old, but not young for a boxer in the sub-Lightweight divisions, either.
He has plenty of time left in his career to add to his already lofty accomplishments, and stamp his place in history. In October, he’s slated to face the highly regarded Toshiaki Nishioka, in what will likely be his swan song at Super Bantamweight before he moves up to the Featherweight division in search of a title in a fourth (or fifth) weight class.
That’s all fine and good, but I think a smarter move would be to hunker down at 122 lbs and clear out the division. There are great fights to be made there – Abner Mares, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Jorge Arce -which would further bolster his legacy.
Donaire isn’t overrated. He belongs in the top 5 pound for pound without a doubt. However, that pendulum has certainly swung, and he’s no longer underrated either.
He can go up to Featherweight and grab a trinket or two there before calling it a day, but I have a hard time envisioning him competing, at say, the age of 33, with whoever is the best guy at 135 lbs at that time. And if you’re not facing the best, then what good would winning the Vacant Interim WBO Lightweight Platinum Edition Championship really do for him anyway?
Sources: Boxrec.com, ProBoxing-Fans.com
Jake Emen runs the boxing news website ProBoxing-Fans.com. You can find more of his writing, along with interviews, rankings and breaking news stories at the site, or you can follow ProBoxing-Fans.com on Twitter, @ProBoxingFans.
