Nonito Donaire regained his clout in the junior featherweight division Saturday by stopping Brazilian journeyman William Prado in the second round of their bout in the Philippines.
Donaire (34-3, 22 knockouts) established his jab in the first round, teed off on Prado at the end of the round and was landing power punches at will in the second round when the bout was stopped at 2:16.
Prado (22-6-1) was not a significant opponent, but it still ranks as a significant win for Donaire because it was his first impressive performance in five bouts since December 2012. Donaire went 2-2 in the other four, outboxed by 122-pounder Guillermo Rigondeaux in April 2013 and outgunned by the larger Nicholas Walters in a featherweight title bout last October.
Still, Prado was a dangerous opponent with a puncher?s chance.
“We knew we had a lot of power and we knew this guy was a tough guy,” Donaire said, according to Ryan Songolia on rappler.com. “My dad (trainer Nonito Sr.was saying ?Be careful? and what punches he?ll throw. By being first, we were able to take away his weaponry.?
The question is whether Donaire, 32, can be first when he?s fighting younger men like Leo Santa Cruz, a 122-pound belt-holder who becomes an attractive opponent for Donaire if the promotional difficulties between Robert Arum (Donaire) and Al Haymon (Santa Cruz) can be worked out.
At least Donaire becomes an attractive opponent for Santa Cruz, Rigondeaux and everyone else at 122, the division in which Donaire won four fights in 2012 en route to winning fighter of the year recognition worldwide.
Donaire, who splits time among Las Vegas, the Bay Area and the Philippines, had not fought in his native country since his 2009 thrashing of Raul Martinez in a flyweight title bout.
Martinez was not an elite fighter either, but Prado was much more of a sacrificial lamb, and Donaire abused him like an arctic hunter confronting a harp seal.
