Nonito Donaire?s flyweight title defense March 21 in the Philippines will not be visible in the Bay Area, where Donaire lives. That signifies a crisis point in his career outside the Philippines that needs to be resolved close to home.
Even if Donaire had never knocked out Vic Darchinyan, the flyweight who gets most of what little attention flyweights receive, the ?Filipino Flash? would be anointed the top fighter in the 112-115 range by an impressive range of boxing experts. The Ring Magazine does rate Nonito the top 112-pounder.
Nevertheless, things seemed a lot more rosy for Donaire about two months ago than they do now. Way back in December, a March challenge to WBO 115-pound champion Fernando Montiel appeared destined to put Donaire on a high-profile rung on Showtime, presumably routinely. Donaire was among those who believed the Montiel-Donaire winner would face the winner of Saturday?s Darchinyan-Jorge Arce bout for supremacy at 115. Donaire recently had dumped promoter Gary Shaw in favor of the more high-powered Top Rank, whose Bob Arum is a good guy to know if you want to fight on HBO.
Then Montiel announced he can?t get down to 115 anymore. That meant there wasn?t a match-up worthy of Showtime anymore. As a second opponent fell through and a third match-up was too lackluster for Donaire, the opponent (No. 4) will be Raul Martinez, whose 24-0 record makes him a worthy opponent, yet an unlikely spoiler. Donaire has a chance to look really good.
If only we could see it. There doesn?t seem to be any juice for televising Donaire-Martinez back to the United States.
Understandably, Donaire?s manager, Cameron Dunkin, talks with a perpetual sigh. He feels he can?t get Donaire on Showtime, not even against Darchinyan, because the split with Shaw runs him afoul of Shaw?s influence at Showtime. And HBO caters (your Welterweight Champion is guilty) to the lightweight-welterweight-middleweight nexus, with no end in sight to the scarcity of flyweights.
Dunkin may be wrong about Showtime. Shaw used to like Donaire, and it?s not as though Donaire hasn?t commanded Showtime?s attention, considering it aired his 2007 knockout of Darchinyan.
But Donaire belongs on HBO, where there isn?t enough interest. Yet. The thing I want to impress upon the primo network?s executives is that Nonito Donaire could step into the analyst chair for one of your telecasts tomorrow and blow everybody away. Add that personality and charisma to the boxing mix, a savvy ring general with elite speed and the largest frame imaginable for a flyweight, and you?ve got a budding superstar.
It would help if there were a more visible groundswell on Donaire?s behalf at home. A couple-hundred thousand Filipino Americans in the Bay Area could lead the way, but it seems to me Donaire should have special appeal for just about every ethnic group I know in the greater San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland area.
I haven?t given up hope that his bouts will become staples of cable TV. But I?m not convinced that local groundswell I?m counting on is a certainty.
