Nonito Donaire, the WBA interim 115-pound champion, does not see himself as particularly courageous. It takes a certain amount of courage just to step into the ring against someone who is trying to take your head off.
But it takes a different kind of courage to align yourself with someone who is considered a pariah by many in your sport. Donaire has ignored the whispers and the innuendo and added Victor Conte to his training staff.
Conte is the man who once ran BALCO, the Northern California lab that designed performance-enhancing drugs for athletes, including former welterweight champion Shane Mosley. Mosley claimed that he was duped by Conte into taking a designer steroid called the “clear” and using EPO to boost his red blood cells for better endurance before his second fight against Oscar De La Hoya in 2003. Mosley sued Conte for defamation, but recently dropped the lawsuit.
“There are people out there who tell me that you’re signing yourself up with the devil,” Donaire said by telephone on Thursday from Las Vegas where he is finishing up training for his match against WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel on HBO on Feb. 19.
“I don’t see it like that. I see it as him helping me to be the best that I can be. Victor is like family to me now. With the program that he has for me, I’ve got nothing to hide. I can only be honest. That’s the way I am.”
Conte and Donaire will be featured in a segment of HBO’s “Real Sports” to be aired on Feb. 15.
Donaire, who is originally from the Philippines, is a rising star who some believe could become the next Manny Pacquiao. He is a terrific boxer with an all-action style and by working with Conte he has increased his endurance, which is one of the hallmarks of Pacquiao’s strategy.
If Donaire does reach the heights that Pacquiao has, there will be many questions about how he got there. Donaire knows that his association with Conte will raise red flags about whether he is using PEDs, but he is prepared to back up the questions with testing on demand.
“If they doubt my credibility stick a needle in my veins 24/7,” Donaire said. “It is part of what I’ve accepted working with Victor.”
For his part Conte has gone through something of a conversion since the BALCO troubles blew up his life. He has always loved working with athletes. So he is back in the game, but this time without the PEDs.
The skepticism remains ? a residue of his past. And rightfully so. Helping athletes reach their physical peak by using illegal substances is wrong. But there is always room for forgiveness and redemption and Conte will have to work as hard as Donaire trains for his fights to get absolution. It may never come in some quarters.
Some athletes that Conte works with want to keep their relationship secret. Others like Donaire don’t have anything to hide.
Conte said he began working with Donaire after running into the boxer and his wife at a bank in San Mateo, Calif. After talking they discovered that they had mutual friends and the gym where Donaire trained was two blocks from Conte’s office. They met later and talked about the ways that Conte could help Donaire with his training.
Donaire said his wife, Rachel, checked out Conte and had a good feeling about him after their meeting.
Conte has changed the way that Donaire approaches his physical training. Traditionally boxers work out six days a week and take one day off, typically going that way for eight tough weeks before tapering off a week before the fight. By using blood tests and simulating high altitude training, Conte has maximized the effectiveness of Donaire’s workouts. He now works hard for four days a week and can rest for three days. It has had a carryover into the ring.
“I used to feel my asthma kicking in in those late rounds. But not now,” Donaire said. “In those later rounds I have the ability to take in more oxygen. I’m able to be faster and stronger.”
The fight against Montiel will be the third fight that Donaire and Conte have worked together. So far the results have been successful. But this will be a major test because Montiel is a power puncher with a relentless style. He will push Donaire to the limits and endurance and strength will be the key.
Donaire said that a big component of his physical training has been the psychological boost that he gets during a fight.
“I feel like Superman when I’m in the ring,” he said.
Donaire doesn’t worry about what others say about his relationship with Conte. He just knows that he is getting fantastic physical and mental results and that he is doing it the right way.
And for Conte it is an opportunity to try to live down his past and get the same results without the use of PEDs. Some would say any athlete who puts their trust in Conte is foolhardy. Conte sees it another way.
“Absolutely it takes courage,” Conte said. “If you’re clean and you have nothing to hide then you’re going to be like Nonito, who says come and test me all you want. The athletes who do work with me are probably the cleanest athletes in the world, because they know that people are going to look at them closely. But they’re willing to pay that price for the benefits that come from our working together.”
