There has been a lot of movement recently on the mythical pound for pound list with Andre Ward moving to No. 2 on most lists and Sergio Martinez sliding down a few notches from his 11 round domination and one round, well, you all know by now. The last scheduled move of the P4P will occur after Manny Pacquiao?s fourth scheduled dance against fellow ?pounder? Juan Manuel Marquez, but before that is fellow Philippine fist thrower Nonito Donaire?s WBO and IBF super bantamweight belt defense against Toshiaki Nishioka in an HBO televised scrap from the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
Donaire, (29-1, 18 KOs) has graced the P4P list for some years now, making his first splash on the scene in an upset knockout victory in five rounds over the previously undefeated Vic Darchinyan, securing his first major title, (IBF flyweight) and making multiple 115 pound defenses before making another splash with an electrifying second round knockout of veteran Fernando Montiel in only his second bantamweight fight, which began Donaire?s ascension of respect alongside the names of the previously mentioned Pacquiao and JMM.
What followed though was a stall in the 29 year olds career as promotional conflicts saw him jump ship temporarily to Golden Boy Promotions from Top Rank, then back to Top Rank after the dust settled, and three less than stellar super bantamweight title defenses against a reluctant Omar Narvaez, a youthful yet inexperienced Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and a solid yet limited Jeffrey Mathebula, which totaled 36 dominant yet semi-uneventful rounds that has given the false impression of a stalled Donaire.
So just prior to the calendar year turning from 2012 to 2013 and Barack Obama?s second term as our nation?s President, Donaire again finds himself in familiar territory by being featured on HBO at the same venue for the second straight time and against a respected foe in Nishioka in a last ditch effort to increase his resume before boxing resets itself for the next year.
What will it be for Donaire?
Will the Bay Area native move his name up or down the top boxer list after October 13?
?Definitely with Nishioka we can?t let our guard down. Nishioka is a tough guy but we have a great plan going into this fight,? said Donaire as the countdown to fight night continues.
Donaire trainer Robert Garcia, a rising trainer and former champion boxer who trains his pound for pound fighter out of Undisputed Boxing Gym in San Carlos, California, is also wary of Donaire?s next assignment, but has liked what he?s seen so far in trading mitt hits and instructing the aptly nicknamed ?Filipino Flash.?
?He?s very experienced,? said Garcia, who recently held an open media workout to show off his most prized pugilist.
?But he hasn?t been inside the ring against a fighter like Nonito who has that tremendous speed and power. That?s what?s going to make the difference.
?I?m not pushing or asking for the knockout. I want him to do what he has done in training and he has looked good in training.?
While you simply cannot throw caution to the wind against Nishioka, who hasn?t logged an L inside the ring since 2004, (a span of sixteen straight W?s alongside nine by knockout) one would imagine a less than stellar performance, (or another 12 rounds without any highlight action to back up Donaire?s status) is going to vault Nonito down the pipe, as evidenced by Martinez?s eleven and a half one sided round followed by a knockdown and exciting ending against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. last month and Pacquiao?s dubious decision loss in June against Timothy Bradley. (The Pac Man had also logged sixteen straight wins prior to his Las Vegas loss).
As of September 21st, Donaire was moved out of the top five by Ward?s ascension on Yahoo?s pound for pound list as he is listed sixth. With Pacquiao?s fall to third and a December match with fifth rated puncher JMM, (with Martinez sandwiched in-between at fourth) Pacquiao and Marquez could trade places on the list or even move down based on their performances, leaving Donaire an opportunity to move back up from the ranking he has had for the previous few months and lead him to higher places in 2013.
Most scribes and hardcore fans brush off lists of ten boxers as nothing more than a favorites game that doesn?t necessarily lead one to greener pastures, but more importantly, it?s been my belief for years not that Donaire is that one signature win away from national and international acclaim, and with Donarire?s own personal time clock ticking, with the month that next month of November officially pushing the Filipino into his 30?s, the time to strike is now with a more than solid showing against Nishioka and a move against a top 122 pound opponent in Abner Mares or even the highly regarded yet more amateur polished and WBA chamption Guillermo Rigondeaux. (Rigondeaux has won multiple Olympic Gold Medals but has only 11 pro fights)
Following the Montiel win, it was widely thought that boxing would have its future star in Donaire.
Since then, little has transpired in the squared circle to move Donaire up the boxing needle, but there still is time yet for the Filipino Flash to make believers out of us all over again.
With only a few days left, we will have to sit back and see what the once thought heir to Pacquiao will provide some ?Flash? in the ring on HBO from California.
