Nonito Donaire currently sits at a solid #2 position in the minds of Filipino boxing fans, well behind Manny Pacquiao, but also well ahead of any possible #3. However, “The Filipino Flash” has encountered some roadblocks to his ascension to elite status in the Filipino community– Much of it a cultural, generational dilemma which harkens back to a similar problem faced by Oscar De la Hoya.
Up until his demolition of Mexican legend, Julio Cesar Chavez in 1996, the “Golden Boy,” Oscar De la Hoya had felt nothing but love and adulation from a friendly fan base. Not long after that bout, things started getting nasty for the US Olympic Gold Medalist.
What suddenly sprung up was the unfortunate and often ugly rivalry between Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.
Mexican fans and those who associated with the old-school way of prize fighting suddenly began looking to take De la Hoya down for everything ranging from his style of dress and his lack of an accent to the way he handled his business outside of the ring. If De la Hoya entered the ring to traditional Mariachi music, the Mexican nationals and traditionalists would hurl insults at the fighter. If he came to the ring with modern music, he would be derided as a “sell-out.”
Other fight fans, obviously, adored him and anxiously followed his each and every move, turning him into the undisputed cash cow of boxing and the biggest star of his generation.
But as big as Oscar got, the critics never let up and the end result was great doubt and skepticism aimed at an otherwise Hall of Fame career.
Much of the dislike was cultural and generational, but as is often the case in sports, the political spilled over on to the playing field and, in this case, Oscar De la Hoya paid the price.
As Nonito Donaire basks in the glory of the biggest win of his career, one can’t help but see the similarities between the Filipino-American, “Filipino Flash” and the Mexican-American “Golden Boy.”
With his family issues becoming more and more public and a recent battle with members of the Filipino media, Donaire is starting to feel the pressure that comes with stardom. As evidenced in some
message boards and chat rooms, there are still many Filipino fight fans who are squarely not on the Donaire bandwagon.
They have raised issues based on everything from his since-reconciled feud with father, Nonito Sr. to his style of dress to his marriage with Rachel, a decidedly non-traditional Asian-American archetype. The criticisms dissipated a bit following his two-round destruction of Fernando Montiel last month, but there’s no doubt that the cultural/generational issues that first brought about the negativity will once again become an issue.
Evidence of this is the fact that the same Filipino media which has treated Manny Pacquiao with kid gloves over the years has been disproportionately hard on Donaire, delving into his personal life and taking shots at the fighter and his wife above and beyond the call of proper sports journalism.
Donaire, like De la Hoya, has done nothing to incur anyone’s wrath. Unfortunately, sometimes the prejudices and politics of real life spill over into the boxing ring.
There’s no doubting Donaire’s ability in the ring, but the real battle ahead may be with those he most desperately depends on– The fans.
