Let?s face it. The only reason Nonito Donaire is still fighting is that the elite stage of his career isn?t necessarily over. He has to make sure he has milked it for all it?s worth before he hangs up the gloves.
But each fight could be his last, and that includes his super-bantamweight fight Saturday with Brazilian journeyman William Prado in the Philippines. (The bout is likely to take place around dawn Pacific Daylight Time.)
If Donaire (33-3-1, 21 knockouts) loses to a clearly elite (and larger) fighter like Nicholas Walters, it doesn?t necessarily mean it?s time for the former flyweight and bantamweight kingpin to retire. But if he loses to Prado (22-5-1, 15 knockouts), or if it?s anything but an impressive victory, he has to think about calling it quits. He acknowledged to Philboxing.com?s Rene Bonsubre Jr. the other day that if he can?t beat the likes of Prado, there would be little point to continuing his career.
The fact is, he hasn?t looked sterling since December 2012, when he capped his fighter-of-the year campaign with a third-round stoppage of Jorge Arce. In losses to Guillermo Rigondeaux and Walters, and even in featherweight victories over Vic Darchinyan and Simpiwe Vetyeka, Donaire has seldom resembled the 2012 version of the Filipino Flash.
He remains an impressive puncher, and opponents still must be wary of his counter left hook and his counter-punching in general, but he is getting hit far more than he used to, and it?s clear that he is losing speed ? and perhaps desire.
He should handle Prado easily enough. At least the Brazilian doesn?t tower over him as Walters did.
But the end, more likely than not, will come all too soon.
