The common story line in boxing press right now is in the power of the Philippines as farm system for fighters. Between Manny Pacquiao, Gerry Penalosa, Rey Bautista and several other up and coming prospects in the boxing world, there have been numerous articles released that follow the development of Asian fighters.
One particularly interesting case is the development of these boxers under world class trainer Freddie Roach. Roach has praised the “work ethic” of the Filipino fighters and is on the record saying, “They work very hard and love what they do. It’s a good feeling because I too love what I do.”
Roach has also pointed out the benefits of boxing being introduced in impoverished areas of the world such as parts of the Philippines. In fact, he credits the ability of Filipino fighters with their background and ability to make their own situation better in terms of providing for themselves and their families. “It’s a way out of poverty and most fighters come from poor backgrounds. It’s a way out… The hunger is there for all of them and that’s a huge part of it.” The most recent splash success of any Filipino fighter has come from Ring Magazine Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire, 18-1, 11 KO’s. Donaire is actually not trained by Freddie Roach but by his father Nonito Donaire, SR. However, he still carries the same storied drive as described by Roach in his compliments to Filipino fighters. Donaire’s childhood included long periods of time without his parents and with very little food. He has said in the past that what little food was available was often rationed out in his village.
Nonito’s older brother Glenn was placed in boxing as a child by the their father as an extracurricular activity that would serve as a safeguard against a more criminal life style. While Glenn was never wild as a kid, it was a situation in which the father thought it would be better safe than sorry. Nonito followed in the footsteps of his older brother.
It turned out that the brothers were pretty good at fighting. Both enjoyed prosperous amateur careers before losing controversial decisions to Brian Viloria in the 2000 Olympic trials. The have gone beyond that now to compile a combined professional record of 34-4, 20 KO’s.
Donaire’s big ticket in the boxing world was clearly his recent fight with Vic Darchinyan. Darchinyan, a flyweight champion at the time, was a feared competitor and one of Showtime’s favorite fighters to show case. His all action southpaw style made for great fights with high volumes of power punch out puts. In the showdown with Donaire, there was a heavy element of revenge. Glenn suffered a technical decision loss to Darchinyan in October of last year. While Glenn tasted the mat in round four of that fight and trailed unanimously on the scorecards by three seven point margins, the bout still ended with a bit of controversy. Referee Tony Weeks called the match because of Donaire’s broken jaw but ruled that it had been caused by accidental elbow rather than a punch. Thus, when the fight ended, the decision was made on the scorecards rather than being ruled as a knockout loss.
This time around, the Donaire brother would beat Darchinyan. Rather than starting off in an orthodox manner with a standard jab, Donaire skipped straight to the right-handed power shots. In the fifth round, Darchinyan bull rushed inward and made a huge looping miss with his right hand. The opportunity was perfect for Donaire, who capitalized by crushing Darchinyan with a left hook to the jaw. Darchinyan made it to his feet but fell again, unable to continue. Donaire carries great skills, moving his feet, hands and head and counterpunching opponents crisply. He also possesses a sledgehammer of a mental advantage in that he is one of the few young fighters in the world who has shown marked improvement in his flaws. Donaire used to load up on shots in the past. In his victory over Darchinyan, he showed the ability to throw straight, snapping, efficient, economic punches.
In spite of the relative weakness of the Flyweight Division when compared to the strength of more established divisions such as that of the Welterweights or Middleweights, Donaire’s recent rise still leaves him in position for any number of important fights. According to the Ring Magazine Flyweight Rankings, the best fight in the division is Donaire against Daisuke Naito, who defeated former champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam by unanimous decision in a huge upset in July. Naito is already scheduled for a fight this coming October against the undefeated Daiki Kameda. Kameda has only had ten professional fights but he is progressing at high speeds. Assuming that Naito can close the door on Kameda, Donaire is set up for a huge showdown to decide the Flyweight champion.
Of course, that is all only if boxing played out as it should every single time. The truth is that it rarely ever does. Naito has unfinished business with Takefumi Sakata, as they fought to a draw in their first bout in 2001. Sakata is ranked #4 on the Ring Magazine charts, right after #3 Wongjongkam. That leaves a number of other possible arrangements to be made between those competitors. Donaire can wait for Naito and hope he gets the fight or build his legacy and status by taking down Wonjongkam. Whether or not Wonjongkam would even fight him is a wild card in and of itself, as the former champion has avoided difficult fight in past, opting to build his record against weaker opponents in Asia rather than building a name and bigger business against better fighters in America. He also has the ability (and perhaps the right) to take a tune up fight before having a huge showdown with either boxer.
Another possible fighter to throw into the mix is Omar Narvaes, an undefeated Argentinean southpaw who is slated to fight Marlon Marquez on September 14th.
Right now Donaire has all the momentum going for him. If he can intelligently manage his career and take the right fights, he has the ability to become the best Filipino fighter yet. He has stated that his hero is Gerry Penalosa and he displays many of the same skills that Penalosa has used in order to extend and build his career. Donaire is determined to make the sky the limit and hopefully he will have the chance to do just that.
