Nonito Donaire (24-1, 16 KO) burst onto the scene in 2007 with a scorching knockout of (then) undefeated brawler Vic Darchinyan. Donaire, a natural super flyweight came down one division to challenge Darchinyan and avenge his older brother Glenn?s earlier loss. The ease and flair with which Donaire dispatched of Darchinyan made him an instant star. Big things loomed on the horizon for the next Filipino icon.
Donaire signed with Top Rank Promotions in June of 2008. Top Rank helped guide the career of fellow Filipino Manny Pacquiao to the top, and Donaire hoped to be put on the same plan. Unfortunately, things didn?t work out as planned, and Donaire has seen his career fall by the wayside as he has become a forgotten star.
With respectable TKO wins over Moruti Mthalane and Raul Martinez, Donaire?s career with Top Rank started in the right direction, but has since taken a wrong turn down an unpaved road to nowhere. In 2009, Donaire defeated Panamanian prospect Rafael Concepcion on a Top Rank-distributed pay-per-view, ?Pinoy Power? fight card. In his next fight, Donaire defeated strawweight contender Manuel Vargas, a fighter that was asked to come up three weight classes to take the fight. Donaire?s last fight received much criticism as well, as he took on little-known Hernan Marquez, knocking him out in eight sluggish rounds.
In the two years since Donaire left Gary Shaw Productions to sign with Top Rank Promotions, Donaire has flirted with the idea of a rematch with Darchinyan. For any number of reasons that can be placed on the shoulders of either man, or either promoter, the fight has never happened. I have to believe that Donaire genuinely wants the fight with Darchinyan; he easily handled him once, and I?m not alone in believing he could do it again. Donaire has also expressed great interest in fighting on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao?s pay-per-view extravaganzas; another of his wishes that has not been granted.
Donaire now finds himself facing Volodyomyr Sydorenko on the undercard of the December 4, 2010, ?Latin Fury? pay-per-view card, headlined by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. With Pacquiao taking on Antonio Margarito on November 13, Donaire against any respectable name would make for a more intriguing co-main event than Kelly Pavlik taking on Brian Vera. Instead, Donaire will play second fiddle to a young prospect on a pay-per-view card that will target a Latino viewing audience.
At first sight, the fight sounded intriguing. After allowing some time to view more footage of Sydorenko and give some thought to the matchup, the fight is a bit of a letdown. While Sydorenko is a former bantamweight champion, he presents little danger to Donaire. Of Sydorenko?s twenty-two wins, only seven have come by way of knockout, and he is re-tooling after consecutive losses to Anselmo Moreno. In the ring, Sydorenko is a light-hitting, safety-first fighter that won?t put much pressure on the fleet-footed Donaire. On pa
