It’s not easy living in the shadow of the greatest fighter in the world. And as much as Nonito Donaire Jr. tries to strafe or embrace that fact, it’s an uncomfortable reality he has to deal with. Nonito Donaire Jr. isn’t just any other Filipino boxer on a hot streak though. Nonito is definitely one of the best boxers in the planet.
His boxing skills and ring savvy betrays his young age. It’s easy to understand why people would want to compare him to Manny Pacquiao, but the boxer he really reminds me of is Gerry Penalosa. Coincidentally, Donaire has tapped Gerry together with his brother and former boxing champ Dodie Boy Penalosa to help him train for his upcoming fight against Fernando Montiel on March 15 in the Philippines.
Good Move!
After a much publicized break-up with his father and former trainer, I think Nonito did the right thing in having Gerry Penalosa take him under his wing. They are both excellent counter punchers and great ring tacticians. And with all the experience under Gerry’s belt, Nonito can only benefit from it. Nonito can actually punch harder than most people give him credit for- add to that the fact that he fights like a seasoned vet in the ring already- fine tuning an already efficient machine was really what Nonito needed more than having someone new to come in and start back from scratch. Not only that, Gerry is a great mentor to have. He is a family man and a smart businessman. Nonito can definitely pick up a thing or two just hanging out with one of the most reputable and honorable legends of Philippine boxing. Even Manny Pacquiao considers Gerry Penalosa as his idol. Needless to say, I really like this move by the Donaire camp.
We already know that Pacquiao is the biggest name in boxing right now and is set to have another historic year in 2009. However, don’t sleep on Nonito Donaire Jr. He seems really focused right now and has even decided to train in Baguio Philippines, away from his comfort zone so he can really maximize his training for his upcoming match. Montiel is one of the best, and if he gets pass him, a match-up against the winner of the Darchinyan-Arce duel would surely be a blockbuster fight boxing fans would love to see.
The year looks promising for Donaire. This might be the year he finally steps out of Pacquiao’s shadow and legitimately claim superstardom to his own. His head is in the right place and he has made very good moves to start the year. The distractions that haunted him regarding his former promoter and trainer are behind him like 2008. The stars seem to be aligned for another Filipino superstar to emerge. The opportunity is there for Nonito, it’s just a matter of seeing whether he can really grab it. I actually expect him to pull it off… We’ll see. Regardless of whether he does or he falls short though- and I say this with all due respect to the ALA boys and our other hardworking and aspiring boxers- I’m just glad there’s another legit world-class Filipino boxer out there to watch.
Parting Shots + Margarito-Mosley
Time flies! And the Margarito-Mosley showdown is just around the corner. For those of you looking for tickets to the fight, I can advise you to go to www.FTKTickets.com. They are awesome people and they hooked me up with last minute Lakers tickets when I was in LA during the holidays. They are actually based in Burbank so everyone in the LA area looking for tix should definitely swing by. Props to everyone that works there! As for my prediction for this fight, I got my money on Margarito. DUH! It’s a no brainer really. Margarito will be too big and too strong for Mosley. Need I say more? And does anybody really still care about what Erik Morales has to say? Really? So what if he’s betting against Pacquiao again? Haayy terrible!
Oh, and Happy New Year to everyone! PEACE.
