On 6 December 2008 Oscar de la Hoya slumped down in his stool. He looked across at his opponent and decided that his face was too bloated and his ego too deflated to take any more punishment from his opponent on that night in Las Vegas. As the fight bell went unanswered, boxing?s golden boy of fifteen years was left dethroned and his opponent, Manny Pacquiao a superstar in boxing circles, crossed over that invisible threshold few sports stars manage to cross.
From a star in his own world of boxing, Pacquiao became a universal phenomenon.
Three years later, Nonito Donaire, a long time darling of boxing?s cognoscenti is on the verge of treading the same path as his Pinoy predecessor Manny Pacquiao.
But why?
Well for a start, a fight on Saturday that many expected to be one of the fights of the year became memorable for another reason. Notably, Nonito Donaire?s ability to use a check-hook to wrap Fernando Montiel?s jaw behind his own head and to be left sprawled on the canvas. The fact that Montiel even got up was testament to his heart and not the frightening power of the Filipino Flash?s blow. It was over in the second round.
In the post-fight conference, with the media converging on the diminutive newly crowned WBO and WBC bantamweight champion, it became known to a wider audience what many in the boxing scene had known for a while. That behind the devastating, mercurial force of Donaire?s fists and feet is a quiet, humble, dignified and shy individual. Something a lot of people really like. Does this sound familiar?
Talking to Boxing Dispatch earlier this month, Donaire spoke frankly about the tough childhood environment he had grown up in. He described a volotile family environment. Does this sound familiar too? He moved from his native Philippines at age ten, and took up boxing to fend off bullying.
In the United States, fans like their sports stars loud and brash but when they are faced with the opposite they love them even more. It?s for that reason that Manny Pacquiao graced the sofas of Jimmy Kimmel and was on the cover of countless magazines. His quiet, coy and yet mischievous demeanour captivating the audience.
But why would Nonito Donaire have the potential to eclipse his own idol Manny Pacquiao?
While from a boxing point of view it?s impossible to deny the quality of the wars that the Pac-Man has been in, many of the classic battles waged with his foes Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez were legendary within boxing circles. But none of those fights were cross-over fights that generated multi-million number pay-per-view buys. Pacquiao is on top of the boxing world now, and is a global superstar, but this happened relatively late in his career.
Nonito Donaire, who is still only 28 years old, has the world at his feet and a plethora of bouts to choose from, especially in the higher weight classes. Much of the work done by Manny Pacquiao can now be capitalized on by Nonito Donaire. With a wonderful and eloquent grasp of the English language, boundless talent and big fights ahead, he is not only marketable but has more time on his hands than Pacquiao had to become a star. Stars such as Roy Jones Jr. are already drooling at the skill level shown by the diminutive pugilist.
For boxing?s sake let?s hope Bob Arum keeps Donaire active unlike previous periods in his nascent career. An active Donaire could mean he becomes a superstar in a flash.
