Drivers see them all the time. They?re bumps in a roadway (typically painted yellow, three-to-four inches high, six-inches-or-so deep) designed to reduce the speed at which cars are driven. Think of Nonito Donaire as a finely-tuned Porsche with Bob Arum revving up the engine for a test drive toward super-stardom.
Donaire is charismatic in and out of the ring. The WBC-WBO 118-pound champion is on virtually every pound-for-pound list. His record is 27-and-1 with 18 knockouts (the loss came ten years ago in his second pro fight). In the age of Manny Pacquiao, it doesn?t hurt that Nonito?s nickname is The Filipino Flash.
On October 22nd against Omar Narvaez at Madison Square Garden, Donaire hit a speed bump. He didn?t careen off the road, but it slowed him down a bit.
Donaire was born in the Philippines on November 16, 1982; the third of four children. ?We were poor,? he says. ?We weren?t starving, but lots of times we were hungry. If there was a chicken to split up, it was an occasion.?
Nonito?s parents emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, bringing his younger brother with them. Nonito and two older siblings stayed behind with their grandparents.
?My grandfather called me ?midget? because I was tiny,? Donaire remembers. ?As a kid, you take that very seriously. I thought I was nothing. I was an extra mouth to feed; that?s all. I grew up in the streets and got picked on a lot because I was so small. I?d fade away into corners and try not to be noticed. I tried to befriend everyone so I wouldn?t have to fight. No one saw the fighter in me, including me.?
When Nonito was ten, his parents brought him to America.
?I remember very vividly looking out the window of the plane right before it landed in San Francisco,? he recalls. ?It was night. I saw all the city lights and wondered, ?What is that? Fireflies??
The transition to life in America was hard. Nonito spoke Visayan; not a word of English. When he was eleven, his father put him in an after-school boxing program to keep him off the streets.
?I worked hard at it because I wanted my father to be proud of me,? Nonito says. ?I remember walking to the ring for my first fight. I was so scared, I pissed in my pants. I literally pissed in my pants. But the moment I got hit, I wasn?t afraid anymore. That?s what courage is; facing your fears and giving your all, no matter what. When I got hit, it was like another person took over my body. I had to defend myself and the courage came out. I scored three eight-counts and won the decision. After I won, my father smiled and gave me a hug. That was the first time in my life that I felt special.?
