The global Filipino's near deification of Manny Pacquiao has rendered us blind to the exploits of another Filipino boxer whose ring triumphs are nearly as amazing as Manny's. This boxer is taller than Manny - is 5 ft. 7 inches - has a deadly left hook, like Manny, and has not lost a fight since 2001. His only loss in a career that has matched him with the best fighters in his weight classes, was to an unknown fighter. In only his second professional fight he agreed to be a last minute substitute fighter and got tripped up by an unknown. That would turn out to be his only loss in his 10-year fighting career.
On his way to multi-weight championships, he demolished the careers of many a world-class fighter.
He is the reigning WBC Continental Americas Bantamweight king. He is a former WBA Super Flyweight World Champion, IBF World Flyweight Champion and IBO World Flyweight Champion. He is rated by Ring Magazine number 5 in the ranks of best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He is four years younger than Manny and retirement is still far into the future.
He is 28, in his prime, now fights at 118 pounds (bantamweight) and is the most fearsome fighter in that weight class.
On February 19, Nonito Donaire, Jr. will clash with Fernando Montiel at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for the latter's WBC and WBO world bantamweight titles. Montiel is a decisive underdog, but Donaire and most observers of the boxing game predict that it will be a savage struggle and may in fact turn out to be the most competitive fight of the year. Ring Magazine's "Fight of the Year" honors probably await this fight, notwithstanding the Manny-Mosley fight coming up in May.
Montiel has a record of 44 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws and is considered a knockout artist. He is also a technical boxer, which means that Donaire must learn to box scientifically or it will be a long night for him.
The fight is another Filipino vs. Mexican contest and both the Philippine and Mexican flags will be on display. National honor and pride are at stake. I don't know if the Philippine politicians will descend upon Mandalay Bay, the way they do at every Pacquiao fight, but they should. If Donaire wins this fight, and he is favored to do just that, there is really no one out there who can challenge him in the bantam class. He could take fights that will cement his place in the history of the sport and claim the title of best pound-for-pound when Manny decides to hang up his gloves.
Donaire, being only 28, has four years on Manny. He hasn't had brutal fights with an Eric Morales or a Juan Manuel Marquez, the way Manny has. One is tempted to conclude from this that Donaire is not as battle-tested as Manny. But Donaire grew up with a sibling, Glenn Donaire - also a boxer - who constantly beat him up in sparring sessions. He developed his survival instincts from his sparring sessions with his older and stronger brother.
Donaire was born November 16, 1982 in Talibon, Bohol, the Philippines. Like Manny, he grew up in General Santos City in South Cotabato. He trained in the same school as the fabled Manny. Nonito, Sr. - his dad - was in the Philippine Army and was an amateur boxer who immigrated to the U.S. in 1990. Donaire joined his dad in Van Nuys, California in 1993, at the age of 10.
Emulating their dad, Nonito Donaire, Jr. and his older brother Glenn both took up amateur boxing and both honed their skills by beating each other up. It wasn't long before Nonito, Jr. discovered the classic fighter with the devastating left hook, Alexis Arguello. He watched countless videos of the great fighter Arguello and patterned his fighting style after Arguello's. Let's hope he doesn't completely follow in Arguello's footsteps, since Arguello became mayor of a city in Nicaragua and, while mayor, allegedly committed suicide.
While still enrolled at San Lorenzo High School in San Lorenzo, California, Donaire and his brother Glenn won many amateur boxing championships in the U.S.
Donaire has only 26 professional fights over ten years, winning 25, 17 by knockout, the rest by unanimous decision. Don't be fooled by that, because he had 76 fights as an amateur.
From Wikipedia: "As an amateur, Donaire won three national championships: the National Silver Gloves in 1998, National Junior Olympics in 1999 and the National USA Tournament in 2000. He also won the International Junior Olympics in 1999. Donaire's amateur record was 68-8 with 5 TKOs."
After starting with a 3 wins, one loss record since turning professional in 2001, Donaire went back to the Philippines with his brother and dad. He was listless in the Philippines and decided that he really would be better off training in the U.S., where there were far fewer "distractions" than in the Philippines. He landed in a boxing club in San Leandro, California.
Unlike Manny, Donaire is a natural flyweight-bantamweight. He has not experienced the growth in heft and power that Manny has. On any given fight night, he can be a flyweight, super flyweight or bantamweight. Nothing bigger. He has a thin frame and unlike Manny has no room to build up additional muscle. He is however all muscle in his 112 to 118 pound 5 ft. 7 in. frame.
Donaire's opponent, Mexican Fernando Montiel, is three years older at 31. Like Donaire, Montiel is in his prime. A much busier fighter than Donaire, Montiel was undefeated as an amateur and has been a professional since turning 16. It is not clear how many amateur fights Montiel had before turning pro, but it is clear that it was in excess of 100. By 20 he was the WBO world flyweight champion.
Montiel has fought the best in the flyweight and bantamweight classes, and has been responsible for derailing careers of many up-and-coming boxers in his weight classes. Those who think Montiel will beat Donaire point to this record as a foreboding prospect for Donaire's first setback in ten years.
Donaire's only loss in his stellar career came on March 10, 2001 to Rosendo Sanchez in Vallejo, California. It was his second professional fight, a fight he took on short notice, with little time for training. He lost by unanimous decision, but observers claim the bout could have gone either way. Donaire never got a chance to avenge his defeat because Sanchez retired from boxing after chalking up an unimpressive 2 wins, three losses record.
The smart money has Donaire knocking out Montiel. Though the two are evenly matched, Donaire appears to be the fresher boxer. If Pacquiao was relatively unscathed in his recent fights, Donaire has emerged fresh from all his fights. Except in that loss to Sanchez, he has either knocked out or knocked down all his opponents. Smart money feels that when Montiel goes down, as he probably will, he will not be able to get up from the canvas.
You're wondering what happened to Donaire's older brother Glenn? Glenn Donaire has compiled a record of 19 wins, four losses and one draw, has had two title shots but lost both. His first title fight, with Vic Darchinyan, ended in a technical knockout, as his jaw was knocked out of position. Glenn Donaire claimed that it was Darchinyan's elbow that did it, but videos do not show an errant elbow being the culprit.
Nonito avenged his brother's defeat on July 7, 2007 by knocking out Darchinyan and taking the latter's IBF and IBO world flyweight crowns. The knockout was awarded Ring Magazine's "Knockout of the Year" and "Upset of the Year" distinctions in 2007.
I might be able to get tickets to the Donaire-Montiel fight and to the Pacquiao-Mosley fight in May. I'll tell you after the Donaire-Montiel fight on February 19 if I actually do get the tickets and watched the fight at the Mandalay Bay in Vegas.
Donaire may not be exactly another Manny - because Manny is a unique boxer in that he has been able to climb 8 weight classes over his long professional career - but he promises to be another Alexis Arguello. Those familiar with boxing history and watched Alexis fight in the 1970s and 80s know this fighter intimately because in those days, the important fights were televised free on network television. People grew up watching Ali, Foreman, Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Alexis Arguello.
I can't wait for the Other Filipino Boxer to get in that ring in Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Vegas - Vegas, baby - and climb that rarefied atmosphere now reserved only for Manny.
Did I tell you that Manny's fight in May sold out as soon as tickets were made available last week? There are tickets still available to the Donaire-Montiel fight and Fil-Ams still have a chance to watch Donaire fight before he becomes a huge international celebrity and the hardest ticket in town, like Manny.
