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The
country’s only superstar boxer from General Santos City
has the glam and the gold.
But the
other rising fighter from GenSan has the goods.
Nonito
Donaire Jr. picked up steam following a slow start then
pounded away at Luis Maldonado of
Mexico
to retain the International Boxing Federation flyweight
title Saturday night at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino
in Connecticut.
WINNING a world title and
successfully defending it in similarly dominant form
gives Nonito Donaire Jr. high points as the year’s top
Filipino athlete.
Donaire
is one of four Filipinos who are holding world titles
but the US-raised fighter is the first among them to put
his belt on the line. Donaire, 25, did not disappoint,
stopping the tough Maldonado at the 1:16 mark in the
eighth round.
Donaire’s power opened cuts to Maldonado’s eyes early,
but the Mexican didn’t go down easily. Maldonado changed
his stance midway through the fight, before the winded
challenger’s body finally gave in.
“He had
me thinking in [the sixth] round. But I was really in
control of the fight,” Donaire said in an overseas
interview, describing the round where Maldonado went to
the southpaw stance to shake up Donaire’s game plan.
It
turned out Maldonado’s strategy was short term.
Donaire
staggered Maldonado with severe right straights then
floored the Mexican with a left hook toward the end of
the sixth.
Maldonado, though wobbly, rose up quickly but it was
already clear what would happen next.
Maldonado was checked by the ring physician in between
rounds but was still cleared by the doctor to continue,
something that turned out to be humiliating for the
Mexican as Donaire battered his challenger with a good
number of left hooks and right straights.
One more
vicious left uppercut connected by Donaire forced
referee Dave Dwyer to finally call a halt to the brutal
assault in the eighth.
After a
so-so first round, Donaire picked up the pace in the
next round by landing jarring right straights and left
hooks that staggered the Mexican. Donaire’s sturdy
attacks opened up nasty cuts to both Maldonado’s eyes.
Despite
the gashes, Maldonado fought bravely bringing the fight
to Donaire. But the Filipino’s precision punching and
brilliant footwork and hand speed made the Mexican an
ideal target practice.
“I was
having some problems with my legs but I was OK the whole
time. I’m really thankful I had a great training camp in
Cebu,” said Donaire, who also retained the fringe
International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight belt.
Donaire
and his father/trainer Nonito Sr. trained for about a
month at the ALA Boxing Gym in Cebu where he sparred
with RP flyweight champion Rocky Fuentes, flyweight
contender Louie Bantigue and RP bantamweight boss
Michael Domingo.
“I had
great sparring partners and sessions in
Cebu. Something that is a bit of problem for us here in the
US,” said Donaire. “It is something that we will
probably do for upcoming fights.”
Donaire’s fight was shown in several giant screens at
the Araneta Coliseum, site of the “Payback” boxing card
where Filipinos Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and teen
prospect AJ “Bazooka” Banal scored impressive victories
against their Mexican foes.
Through
a wireless phone connected to a public address system
inside the coliseum, Donaire thanked all the Filipino
fans and his avid supporters.
Japanese
next?
Donaire’s name is often mentioned as possible foe for
established superstars Jorge Arce, a two-time world
champion, and World Boxing Council (WBC) super-flyweight
ruler Christian Mijares.
Donaire
(19-1 with 12 knockouts) is targeting World Boxing
Association (WBA) flyweight champion Takefumi Sakata,
and WBC ruler Daisuke Naito.
“If the
Japanese champions don’t want to fight me, then I will
move up in the super-flyweight and challenge the
champions of that division,” Donaire once told the
BusinessMirror in a recent interview.
Donaire,
who shocked the boxing world as he annihilated the
seemingly invincible Vic Darchinyan inside five rounds
last July, traces his roots to Bohol and Manny
Pacquiao’s General Santos City. He resides in San
Leandro, California.
It was
only Maldonado’s second loss in 40 fights that include
37 wins, a draw and 28 KOs.
In the
night’s main serving, Antonio Tarver stopped Danny
Santiago in the fourth round to retain his International
Boxing Organization light-heavyweight title.
Vernon
Forrest also successfully defended his World Boxing
Council super-welterweight title, stopping
Italy’s
Michele Piccirillo at 2:21 of the 11th round after
landing two crushing right hands.
Tarver
used a series of combinations to score a technical
knockout victory over fellow American Danny
Santiago
at 2:53 of round four. It was the first successful title
defense for Tarver, who captured the IBO crown in June. |
