Top Rank CEO Bob Arum?s recent announcement that Nonito ?Filipino Flash? Donaire (24-1, 16 KO), has signed a contract stipulating that he and Fernando Montiel (43-2-2, 33 KO) will finally meet in the ring in February of 2011, will finally allow fans of Donaire to breathe a sigh of relief. When Donaire signed with Top Rank in 2008, bigger things were expected than what we?ve seen from the heir apparent to Manny Pacquiao.
After Donaire?s stunning KO victory over then-unbeaten Vic Darchinyan, the sky was the limit. Donaire left Gary Shaw in mid-2008 to sign with Top Rank Promotions, the company that guided the career of Manny Pacquiao to the pinnacle of pugilistic popularity. Unfortunately, the ceiling placed on the career of Donaire has left him little room so as to even scratch his head in disbelief. Donaire has not fought once on the undercard or the co-feature of a Pacquiao card. He has been relegated to fighting on Top Rank-distributed ?Pinoy Power? fight cards. Whether or not his weak level of opposition is by his own choice, can be left to be debated between his supporters and detractors.
Donaire?s underwhelming resume since signing with Top Rank reads as follows: TKO6 over Moruti Mthalane, TKO4 over Raul Martinez, UD12 over Rafael Concepcion, KO3 over strawweight Manuel Vargas (Donaire was a super flyweight at the time), and TKO8 over Hernan Marquez.
Donaire has been slammed with criticism over his fights with Concepcion, Vargas, and Marquez, three fighters that should not have been in the same ring with the number four-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, as listed by Ring Magazine.
