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The Donaire Model Could Have Been a Better Alternative Route for Manny Pacquiao's Historic Saga By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Sat, 01 Jan 2022  With Nonito Donaire giving new life to his career late, some say very late at this stage by reinventing himself and going back down to the bantamweights and quite possibly even lower, Manny Pacquiao could have contrived a better ending to his own boxing saga via the same novel route. Donaire: From 112 to 118, 122 and 126 Back to 118 and 115 Donaire last fought as high as the featherweight, losing a fighting decision to Carl Frampton in 2018. The Filipino had previously won a major world title at 126, the WBA super belt earlier by outgutting the rugged Simphiwe Vetyeka but his reign was brief as he suffered his only KO loss to a bigger Nicholas Walters. Before that, Nonito was a long time unified world flyweight and bantamweight champion and also had two reigns at super bantamweight or 122 lbs. which ended in defeats respectively to Guillermo Rigondeaux and Magdaleno between 2007-2015. After the Walter debacle and loss to Magdaleno he tried himself again at 126 but proved inadequate against Frampton who himself had come from 122 after him. That defeat could have prodded Nonito to realize that with him aging, he was no longer fitted for the featherweights and that he would be better off moving back to 118 lbs. The move worked magically resulting to his winning the WBA bantamweight super belt in 2018 and after losing it by decision to Naoya Inoue in the World Boxing Super Series finals in 2019, the WBC title early last year by knockout over Nordine Oubaali of France. Nonito recently defended that WBC crown by another knockout this time against erstwhile undefeated fellow Filipino belt holder Reymart Gaballo. With the win, Donaire lines himself up for a lucrative rematch versus Inoue in 2022 for 3/4 of all major titles at bantamweight. Win or lose, Donaire is reportedly eyeing an official fifth world title at junior bantamweight or 115 lbs to set the record of being the first fighter to win a second division championship moving from featherweight. If he succeeds in both targets, Donaire will not only set records but also enhance his chances to Hall of Fame and possibly, all time great honors. Alternative Saga of Pacquiao: From 147 and 154 Back to 140. By early 2009, Pacquiao had equaled the then existing record of six world division world championships by annexing the lineal super lightweight title via brutal lights out second round knockout of Ricky Hatton of the UK. He was barely two bouts away from the lightweights 130-135 lbs which experts and historians say he was at his strongest best. 
Pacquiao takes out Hatton during their super lightweight battle on May 2, 2009 in Las Vegas. But at that juncture, both Manny and his promoter Bob Arum were not about to stop until the record is reset which actually happened in his next fight versus Miguel Cotto for his record breaking seventh: the WBO world welterweight title. Manny stopped Cotto in the 12th and final round of their title fight which was set at an agreed upon 145 lbs limit which suggested that Pacquiao was still not physically matured to be fighting at that high level. Pacquiao showed signs of this in his next two fights against the bigger and stronger Joshua Clottey in his first WBO welterweight title defense and ex titlist Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC super welterweight crown, his record setting eighth in 2010. In both fights failed to score a knockdown much less a knockout, the first time he showed some power lack. Given that and the fact that Pacquiao has already set the world record for most division titles won, perhaps it was enough for him to go back down to the welterweight or 147 lbs. It would have been wiser for Manny to move further back to 140 or the super lightweight/junior welterweight which was actually his best fighting weight and level at that point. And in fact, for most of his actual 12 years at welterweight. Another consideration why Pacquiao could have needed a return to 140 lbs was that he only fought once at that weight class and although he beat the lineal titlist in Hatton, none of the major belts was at stake. At that point, none of the then other existing titlists including Amir Khan, Timothy Bradley, Zab Judah, Devon Alexander and Kendall Holt would have presented problems for Manny making possible his sweep of all the major belts between 2011 and 2012. It is also doubtful if Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez who moved up to 140 following Pacquiao's wake would fare any better against a prime best Manny at that level. We could toss in Russian Rocky Ruslan Provodnikov, Mike Alvarado and later Lamont Peterson as well as Danny Garcia. Note that most of these fighters likewise graduated later to the welterweight where Manny actually fought a few of them under different circumstances. The main thesis of this alternative reality is that at 140, Manny would have been at his best and in his full elements unencumbered by any weight or other physical disadvantage unlike at 147 where most of his opponents enjoyed size and weight, even power advantaged especially in the day before the fight official weigh in regime. It was no secret that most of Manny's foes at welterweight were virtually middleweights at fight night. This was not only true of Margarito and Sugar Shane Mosley but particularly in his later fights against Jessie Vargas, Jeff Horn, Keith Thurman and yes, Yordenis Ugas. 
Pacquiao bows down to Ugas during Pacquiao's last fight at welterweight. After setting the record of eight world division championships in 2010, Manny could have been the first of his kind as multi division titlist to re-win another world title/s at a lower weight class/es to include another go at 135 or lightweight where he only had also just one fight versus former Olympian Diaz for the WBC belt in 2008. Alas, the highly Machiavellian nature of boxing of the time accentuated by the return to boxing of Floyd Mayweather, Jr in late 2009 which re-triggered Bob Arum's materialistic mojo prompted, nay forced Manny to stay at 147 and fritter away options and opportunities for a better historical boxing saga and a career ending fight, certainly better than a nondescript bout versus Yordenis Ugas. Even while fighting and dominating at 140, there's no doubt that Pacquiao could have also continued to rival Mayweather and eventually challenged and fought him for welterweight superiority at more proper time and appropriate conditions between 2011 and 2015. But without subjecting himself to the whims and machinations of Arum as what actually happened. Just thinking aloud, what if Manny with the agreement of Arum first thought of this novel successful career concluding route currently opted by Donaire; after 2010? The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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