Nonito Donaire Jr. and Vic Darchinyan will both be present Wednesday at a news conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, where their long-awaited Nov. 9 rematch in that Gulf Coast city will be announced by Top Rank Boxing.
Darchinyan was a fearsome and long-reigning flyweight champion as of July 2007, when Donaire knocked him out with a legendary counter left hook and reversed their career trajectories.
As if that weren?t nostalgia enough, Donaire?s father, Nonito Sr., confirmed Monday that he will take part in training his son for the bout. He has been absent from his son?s corner since 2008, when a business-oriented family dispute involving Donaire?s then-new wife, Rachel, led to the father?s estrangement from the couple that lasted until a 2011 truce that has remained shaky.
Rachel gave birth to the couple?s first child in July, and Nonito Sr. says that played a role in easing tensions enough to put him back in his son?s camp.
The father?s presence probably will represent a back-to-basics motif brought on by Jun?s loss of his 122-pound title in April to Guillermo Rigondeaux, a bout for which he was ill-prepared .
It?s a given that Robert Garcia will again be in the Donaire corner on fight night. The main event pits Garcia?s brother, Mikey, against Roman Martinez in a 130-pound title bout. Donaire-Darchinyan is the sub-main event. The opening bout will pit junior middleweight contenders Vanos Martirosyan and Demetrius Andrade.
The Donaire-Darchinyan rematch will be the first fight at 126 pounds for both contestants. Darchinyan has lost four bouts since Donaire and has been correspondingly less effective as he gets bigger, whereas it has been obvious for many years that Donaire is a natural featherweight.
Still, Darchinyan will have a puncher?s chance, and it will be up to Nonito Sr. to provide the coping mechanisms for that in training camp.
MORE NOSTALGIA: I worked at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times from 1977-1981 and therefore am determined to find my way to South Texas in November.
