Perils of mismatch (of the year)
IT’S RIGHT, there’s an overwhelming street clamor for the fallen Nonito Donaire Jr. to get back.
Donaire, bubbly and undaunted the morning after his horrifying fall against Jamaica’s undefeated WBA featherweight champion Nicholas Walters, has himself assured he would be fighting again in a lighter division, maybe the 122-lb super bantamweight class.
It was quite reassuring how Donaire had tried to take everything in stride.
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It is, however, odd that several fans blindly demanded for Donaire to get an immediate rematch, although the fallen boxing hero had himself swore he could have died (by the sword) if his ordeal had not been cut by that brutal stoppage in the sixth round.
It’s also disturbing how other diehards wanted Donaire back in action soon, obviously overlooking the mandatory sidelining required for a fighter who has suffered a stoppage.
Anyway, there was this apt observation on how Donaire was stopped at exactly the same round and time Manny Pacquiao was knocked out cold by Juan Manuel Marquez in December 2012.
The exact point was 2:59 of the sixth round.
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The respective knockouts suffered by the two Filipino boxing greats were however as different as night and day.
While Pacquiao was surgically cut down, Donaire was brutally bludgeoned.
Pacquiao fell to a rival of the same build, weight and power, Donaire was crushed by an awfully bigger and stronger opponent.
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It’s not easy to compare the respective punishment, or concussion if any, suffered by Pacquiao and Donaire.
Offhand, though, Donaire had visibly suffered the bigger damage.
In Pacquiao’s case, it goes without saying that he allowed himself to be subjected to proper checks and scanning before he could resume training.
Pacquiao also rested for nearly a year, before returning to action and dominating big Brandon Rios in Macau in November 2013.
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Meanwhile, it has remained unclear if Donaire, who decided to skip the postgame clinical checks, had undergone necessary medical clearance process.
Many keen followers of boxing hereabouts believe concerned authorities, including the promoter of the one-sided championship, should go out of their way to ensure the safety and continued health of Donaire, a confirmed national treasure.
Said Dr. Jose Raul Canlas, a respected international authority in sports medicine: “It is, of course, better if a postfight scan or general check-up is done—although this is not a protocol for professional boxing.”
