What with international superstars Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather both being close to age 35 than to 30, boxing needs one or more younger fighters to grab the flag and develop into the pay per view TV magnets that the older fighters are. Super middleweight Andre Ward looks like a likely candidate. The fighter who calls himself “Son Of God” has a sizable following but his drawing power at the live gate has really only been shown in his home base of Oakland. Meanwhile, another Bay Area based fighter named Nonito Donaire has the in and out of the ring tools to become a gate and PPV attraction. The “power behind the throne” in Fil Am Donaire’s camp is his wife, Rachel, and she plays an important role for her husband other than being a devoted spouse. I sat down with the oft-criticized Mrs. Donaire on Tuesday to discuss what she does and doesn’t do regarding the career of her “Filipino Flash” husband. “I am not the manager,” Rachel said. “I never said I was or tried to be that. Nonito’s capable manager is Cameron Dunkin and all the boxing decisions and discussion go between Nonito and Cameron. They speak to our promoter, Top Rank, on boxing issues.” Rachel, who revealed that the couple is buying a house in the Bay Area and plans to start a family next year, said that she tries to concentrate on marketing/public relation aspects of Nonito’s burgeoning career. The selling of Nonito includes advertising photo shoots which usually include bevies of sexy female models but Mrs. D said that hardly fazes her. “Nonito takes photos and gets his photos taken so he’s on both ends of the camera,” she said. “I’m not threatened by or jealous of other women. If my huisband was in Playboy, like Manny Pacquiao is right now, I wouldn’t be threatened either. It’s just a part of the overall marketing scheme.”
