My somewhat belated trip to San Leandro to see Glenn Donaire and his father/trainer a couple of days ago turned out to be a mood elevator.
Glenn, the older brother of bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, is coming back from a three-year boxing hiatus that coincided with a rift between Glenn?s father and brother that ended last March .
Throughout the 29-month estrangement of Nonito Donaire Sr. and Jr., I was keenly aware of my obligation to convey both sides of the story. I always assumed Senior was reading at least some of my version of the saga and that I might be called to account someday.
Well, Nonito Sr. indeed confronted it, man to man. But he did so only after we had established congeniality. Although he certainly didn?t see my coverage as favorable, and he felt that needed to be said, he made his point without being a buzzkill.
I was grateful to be able to look him in the eye and state my case. I?ve always maintained that love would prevail in their personal relationship but that their professional split was not likely to be repaired. I stood by that again.
Keep in mind, though, that Jun?s move to Top Rank just before the split was predicated on a tripling of the fighter?s purses into six figures ? the payoff for 15 years of preparation. The father suddenly wasn?t part of that. Worse, he felt he was being falsely accused of glomming onto $80,000, a misunderstanding that tormented him throughout the rift until Jun apologized for that misunderstanding.
