Nonito Donaire?s determination to make a dynamic showing Saturday propelled the Filipino Flash to his most impressive victory since 2007 as he knocked down Volodymyr Sydorenko three times and stopped the former WBA bantamweigh champion in the fourth round.
Donaire?s performance Saturday in Anaheim should intensify the hype for his Feb. 19 bantamweight showdown with long-awaited opponent Fernando Montiel, the WBC and WBO champion. HBO will feature that bout in a rare foray into such a low (118 pounds) weight division. It?s a division in which Donaire hadn?t fought since 2005.
?I wanted to make a statement, and I did,? Donaire said after winning the second-tier WBC Continental Americas belt. ?I know I can dominate anyone if I?m motivated.?
It wasn?t a new and improved Donaire who tortured Sydorenko.. This was vintage Donaire, the monster flyweight-turned bantamweight taking lethal advantage of Sydorenko?s every mistake, including one or two he didn?t even make.
Donaire?s vaunted left hook provided the first knockdown near the end of a first round in which he had already staggered the much shorter Ukrainian. A counter left hook (as Donaire was retreating, yet) put Sydorenko (22-3-2) down again in the third.
A not-out-of-character left-right combination caused Sydorenko to sink to the canvas in pain in the fourth, and referee Marcos Rosales signaled the bout was over, with 1 minute 11 seconds remaining in the round.
?The counter hook is always going to be me,? Donaire said of the signature punch, the one that knocked off Vic Darchinyan in 2007.
Another remaining hallmark is careful defense, which Donaire (25-1, 17 knockouts) employed in the second round after nearly ending the fight in the first. That?s something recently arrived trainer Robert Garcia hasn?t changed.
?Robert told me, relax, take your time,? Donaire said of his inclination to pursue the knockout with abandon.
But in the third Donaire went into Roy Jones Jr. mode, abandoning the jab, loading up and looking for opportunities to counter.
With the knockdown in the third and the nasty finish in the fourth, Donaire?s performance resembled the flyweight version in the Philippines in April 2009 against Texan Raul Martinez, but this one seemed more savage.
The win over Martinez was the one that launched Donaire into the top 10 of The Ring Magazine?s pound-for-pound ratings, where he has remained. But he says he hasn?t really tested his worthiness for that level of acclaim.
?I?ve still got to beat Montiel. Then I can say I?m worthy of that.?
