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A BOXING GYM RISES IN OAKLAND (PHOTOS) By Dong Secuya PhilBoxing.com Sun, 15 Jun 2014  OAKLAND ? As soon as you walk inside the Donaire Sr Gym here, located at 1920 Park Boulevard along the busy Lake Meritt area just east of downtown, you will be impressed with the trappings of what has become a first class boxing gym. Rows of heavy bags line up on the left side opposite a mirrored-wall where enough space is left vacant for other exercise routines. The elevated boxing ring is located towards the interior of the gym where the speed bags are also placed on the side. The lockers and the restroom occupy the very end of the 3,000 square feet rectangular sweat shop of what once was a hardware store. The gym formally opened Feb. 1 this year. ?Nonito (Donaire Sr) personally designed this gym,? Donaire Sr's partner Abraham Morones, a young Mexican-American who is also Senior's dedicated boxing student, told us as he walked us through the gym. ?Also Nonito personally did the steel works, welding and carperntry. This gym is a labor of love.? Donaire Sr is of course the famous father of 4-division champion and former pound-for-pound fighter Nonito 'The Filipino Flash' Donaire Jr. Father and son first burst into the limelight in July 7, 2007 when Nonito Jr, with Senior in his corner, upset then IBF and IBO flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan with a one-punch knock of the year left cross in the 5th round. Father and son had a falling out for several years but reunited in Junior's last two fights where Junior won a rematch with Darchinyan on Nov. 9, 2013 and a 4th division title win against Simpiwe Vetyeka of South Africa in Macau last month. Donaire Sr raised his family in San Leandro where he still resides until now while Junior, now married to Rachel, has relocated in Las Vegas. Top photo: Gym partners Nonito Donaire Sr (R) and Abraham Morones are the cog behind the Donaire Sr gym in Oakland, CA. 
The gym interiors. 
Donaire Sr watches Abraham Morones do the heavy bag. 
Donaire Sr and prized pupil Joebert Alvarez. 
L-R: Promoter Sammy Gello-ani, Boxing Judge Rey Danseco and the author at Donaire's gym. ?I want to develop world champions in this gym,? Nonito Sr told us. So far the gym produced a regional champion in Joebert Alvarez who won the WBC Continental Americas flyweight title last April with a unanimous decision victory over Mexico's Julian Rivera in Mexico City. Alvarez, 24, is originally from General Santos City who relocated to Northern California last year and so far has racked up 14 wins and 1 draw in 15 outings. Former world champion Marvin Sonsona and Flyweight contender Froilan Saludar had their last leg of training in the Donaire Sr Gym before Sonsona fought his rematch with Wilfredo Vazquez Jr in New York last June 7 and Saludar's IBF world title eliminator bout with McWilliams Arroyo on June 19 in Puerto Rico. The gym, whose operating hours starts at 3:00 p.m. and closes at 9:00 p.m. everyday, also accepts regular fitness students and this early, the gym already attracts a steady stream of fitness buffs around the area, mostly regular office workers. ?So far we have about 50 students enrolled,? said Morones who is running the day-to-day affair of the gym. ?The gym normally becomes busy around 5:00 p.m. until closing time and the way things are going, I won't be surprised if we're going to expand in the very near future,? Morones added. Only 30 minutes away from downtown San Francisco and within driving and commuting range from all of the Bay Area, and with a famous name attached to it, the gym promises to become a boxing hub in Northern California. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.  |
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