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Nonito Donaire?s Drive for Fighter of the Year By Butch Romero PhilBoxing.com Tue, 26 Jul 2011  Now that news has broken that Nonito Donaire is finally returning to Top Rank Promotions, and in turn, coming back to the sport of boxing, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. With that said, it?s time to turn our attention to his next possible opponent and his realistic shot at Fighter of the Year. It would have been ideal for him to have three fights this year. After coming out with a bang by stopping Fernando Montiel in spectacular fashion in 2nd round last February in a marquee match-up between two of the worlds best Bantamweights, he had the inside track of winning FOTY. But after wasting half of 2011 on the Top Rank-Golden Boy Promotions contract brouhaha, he'll have to settle for one more fight before the year ends. The only way for him to even be considered for the prestigious award now is to face a big name. The Bantamweights The list is a short one, but carries a lot of weight. Anselmo Moreno would be good enough at this point, having almost fought Donaire last May before the contractual disputes broke out. He?s well-known enough in the boxing industry, holding the WBA Bantamweight title and having successfully defended it 9 times since 2008. Rounding up the top 4 bantams in The Ring?s current rankings (http:// ringtv.craveonline.com/ratings/bantamweight) we have Abner Mares and Joseph Agbeko, who also happen to be the last two remaining participants of Showtime?s exclusive Bantamweight tournament. They?ll be squaring off this August in the tournament finale. It goes without saying that whoever wins there would be the perfect opponent for Donaire, assuming Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions have indeed ironed things out. How about a much-awaited rematch with Vic Darchinyan. In a sense, he placed 3rd in the Showtime tourney after beating Yonnhy Perez in the ?losers bracket?. And though Donaire has beaten him before, handing him his first loss and only knockout defeat, Darchinyan remains widely popular. He has a proposed fight with a ?TBA? fighter this September in his native Armenia, which shouldn?t pose any problem to the power-punching lefty. If nothing can be worked out with the bantamweights, Donaire could also move up and face WBO Jr. Featherweight champ Jorge Arce, who had a renaissance of sorts when he took the WBO strap from then-champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr last May. And although ?Traviesco? isn?t as elite as he used to be, possibly having passed his prime, Nonito picking up titles in two different weight classes against quality opponents in the same year should be able to help his case. The Other FOTY Candidates And what of the other names we can toss in the hat? Let?s briefly cycle through the usual suspects and eliminate some names. Wladimir Klitschko? He decisioned David Haye in a highly anticipated heavyweight match that failed to live up to expectations, and has nothing planned for the remainder of the year. Given the relative dearth in elite heavyweights today, it?s safe to say that whoever he ends up fighting, it won?t be good enough. Timothy Bradley? Beat a listless Devon Alexander in another uneventful fight. His career is currently in limbo with his own personal contract issues. #1 Pound-for-Pound fighter Manny Pacquiao? Outclassed Shane Mosley in a fight that was found wanting, lacking in action due to Mosley choosing not to engage in the mid- to late-rounds. He has Juan Manuel Marquez up next. Floyd Mayweather Jr.? Hasn?t fought yet this year. Heck, he hasn?t fought in over a year, though he?ll be facing a young stud in Victor Ortiz this September. You can also take pound-for-pound campaigner and last year?s FOTY Sergio Martinez out of the equation. In 2010, he took out Kelly Pavlik and demolished Paul Williams. This year? So far, he pounded Serhiy Dzinziruk into submission and has a certain Darren Barker up next. Quite a drop-off in competition, wouldn?t you say? So that leaves us with the real contenders. First we have the never-aging Bernard Hopkins. Last May he once again defied Father Time by becoming the oldest boxing champion ever, taking the WBC Light Heavyweight title from Jean Pascal. He?ll be defending his belt against another top Light Heavy in Chad Dawson come October. Then we have the finalists of The Super Six tournament, Andre Ward and Carl Froch. Ward whipped the always-dangerous Arthur Abraham, while Froch outworked Glen Johnson. Whoever has his hand raised this October should get strong consideration for FOTY. Lastly, we have the two fighters with conceivably the best chances of winning -- Juan Manuel Marquez and Victor Ortiz. They?ll obviously have to beat their next opponents, which won?t be easy at all. It doesn?t matter if Marquez has only fought a tomato can in Likar Ramos ? if he beats Pacquiao, all bets are off. Ortiz has an equally tough assignment. He?s already beaten Andre Berto and took his WBC Welterweight title in the process, and now has a date with Mayweather in September. Beating Floyd would thrust him into the discussion of pound-for- pound status and give Golden Boy their newest superstar. A lot of other factors are in play in deciding the FOTY. The caliber of opposition, the manner in which they dispatch their opponent, perhaps even the drama surrounding the event. So everything will depend on the performances of Donaire, Hopkins, Ward and Froch. All things considered, if Marquez gets by Pacquiao, you can consider the race over. Ditto if Ortiz thumps Mayweather. But as long as Donaire is matched up with (and beats) Moreno, Mares/Agbenko, Darchinyan or Arce, he?ll have a terrific chance of winning 2011 Fighter of the Year. --- Who wins FOTY if Marquez and Ortiz both prevail? I suppose Co-Fighter of the Year would be in order. Editing by Joberto. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Butch Romero.  |
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