It may not be the proper thing to do but, under the sketchy situation, the referee called it right when he allowed the fight to continue after Nonito Donaire Jr. suffered a gaping wound under the left eyebrow during the first round of his challenge for the world featherweight boxing championship in Macau on Saturday.
There was a spooky development that resulted in the head wound, which later took 11 stitches to close, after Donaire had been declared winner and world champion again.
It’s too late now but a slow-mo dissection of the physical clash shortly before the end of the first round should be able to show that the wound, with its nasty slit and sad slant, was not caused by a legit punch.
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Donaire, who had previously won titles in four separate world divisions, made a daunting display of grit and guts never before seen in his storied career.
The degree of difficulty alone, not necessarily a prime factor in a title bout, justifies the decision of the referee to let the fight proceed, although Donaire could hardly see with his left eye.
The referee, however, had to dutifully get it from Donaire that he was ready and willing to go.
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It’s quite odd but, long after the combatants had packed up and left for home, there continued a debate over the exact cause of the blinding wound over Donaire’s left eye.
Of course, there was the prevailing opinion that the wound opened following a foul contact, if not through a slicing nudge of the bony brow during a clinch, maybe a slash of the opponent’s sharp wrist band.
It was also noted that, although it never merited a warning from the ring official, Donaire had to disengage at least a couple of times complaining of headbutts.
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What has amazed ringside experts was the phantom manner these damaging contacts had been made.
Did the South African champion spend extra time in a mumbo jumbo fight school to perfect the menacing moves?
Donaire later explained he had to fight on sheer instinct, after he got rocked groggy by a headbutt at the end of the first round, until the fourth round when he floored his foe with a right-left combination.
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On the whole, Donaire showed class and clear superiority over his taller African foe.
Donaire never complained but instead expressed regret that he was not able to finish what he came to deliver.
He humbly asked for a rematch.
There will be a rematch, and thanks mainly to the referee who, like Donaire, also worked on sheer instinct at the height of indecision.
Imagine if the bout had been stopped after Donaire got that severe wound.
Maybe it would be right to also bring in the referee back?