Some things are better left unsaid. In the heat of the moment, still flush from the heat of battle, mouths sometimes say things that the head later regrets. But away from bright lights and testosterone, away from the cheering (or booing) crowd, a cooling off period usually follows where one can reassess one?s remarks and either correct them, fine tune them, reject them, or crush them like a mosquito.
Former champion Nonito Donaire (31-2, 20 KOs) lost more than his WBO super bantamweight title to Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0, 8 KOs) Saturday night at Radio City Music Hall. He also lost his credibility. His performance, or lack thereof, has been questioned and rightfully so. And when he went so far as to offer a laundry list of excuses during a post-fight interview, while refusing to give Rigondeaux props, Donaire came off as a whiner and sore loser.
And now, days later, Donaire?s credibility has been further eroded by insisting that he WON THE FIGHT, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
?I wanted to pressure him,? he said, according to BoxingScene.com, ?but the problem is I didn?t [step it up] in the last two rounds. I thought I did enough to win this fight. But again, the decision was from the judges. At least it should have been a draw. If nobody had to win that fight it should have been a draw, but if somebody had to win that fight it should have been me because I made that fight happen. I don?t want to be a sore loser because he was an excellent fighter, but he didn?t want to engage. That was the problem, he didn?t want to engage.?
I don?t know what planet Donaire is living on, but it sure as hell isn?t planet Earth. Rigondeaux put on a boxing clinic. The ?last two rounds? argument was made before and is no more credible now. He didn?t win the fight. It wasn?t even close. He didn?t deserve a draw. He lost the fight and he lost it big-time and all the fancy footwork and tongue-twisters only diminish Donaire further.
?The problem? was not that Rigondeaux ?didn?t want to engage.? He engaged plenty. No rule says that he?s obligated to stand toe-to-toe and trade. No rule says that he has to fight Donaire?s fight. The problem was not Rigondeaux. Nor were the judges the problem. The problem was Donaire and his failure to cut off the ring, his failure to get off first, his failure to defend himself, his failure to develop boxing skills instead of relying solely on his power.
If Donaire is willing to face facts and get his head out of the clouds or wherever it happens to be, he should stop making excuses and stop talking to the press. Have that baby. Fix that shoulder. Gain that weight. Learn how to box. But most of all, say no more. You?re making a bad situation even worse.
