He wants to be a part of it. That’s for sure.
And what a better way to do it for Nonito Donaire Jr., but in New York City. On Oct. 22 he gets to live out all the cliches attached to the Big Apple when he takes a big bite out of it.
He is fighting undefeated Omar Narvaez of Argentina in what used to be the mecca of boxing, the Madison Square Garden.
Donaire was born in Talibon, Bohol; grew up in Gen. Santos City, but at 11 years old moved to San Leandro, California. At 28, he wants to be boxing’s next big thing.
But for pundits, Donaire is still by and large just one of boxing figures standing in the shadow of the Pacman. He is having what they call in basketball a Pippen syndrome.
Despite his brilliance – with 24 straight victories including four successive knockouts – his star will always have to shine against Manny Pacquiao’s stellar brightness. A minor star drowned by a supernova.
Like every Filipino, I’m hoping he gains a measure of Pacquiao’s success which has transcended into the mainstream. From packing it in in Las Vegas, to Philippines congress to Paris Hilton and Jimmy Kimmel.
The celebrity celebrities are aching to meet.
His career hit a snag when he spent eight months in the freezer after a falling out with Top Rank over contract disputes. Essentially, he missed hammering that all-important immediate follow-up of his Fernando Montiel demolition in February.
Another thing going against Donaire is that he seemed to have “outgrown” his opponents in the lower divisions. Yes, including the bantamweight class where the only person standing in his way is a 36-year-old named Omar Narvaez. Though Narvaez is undefeated at 112lbs, he is debuting at 118lbs this late in his career.
Donaire himself admitted that he’s having hard time shedding pounds for the Oct. 22 title bout at the WaMu Theater in the Garden. His muscle mass, which he naturally gained through passing years, is getting difficult to get rid of, and the only logical thing to do is climb to 122lbs., if not 126lbs.
“This will definitely be my last fight at 118. Making 118 is difficult – the last two fights, it was easy but with my workout routine I have increased my muscle mass,” said Donaire during an in-depth interview with boxingscene.com. “We want to be healthy and be at our best so 122 we are looking forward to. There are a lot of incredible fighters that Top Rank has at 122, and champions we are willing to face. I am looking forward to it but l never look past what is in front of us.”
At 5-foot-6, Donaire can easily make that jump and slug it out with the bullies of super bantamweight like Jorge Arce of Mexico (WBO titlist) and Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan (WBC champion).
Farther into the horizon, Donaire is also reportedly eyeing the sensational Yoriorkis Gamboa, the Cuban Olympic gold medalist who’s the former IBF/WBA featherweight champion. Gamboa was stripped of the titles for missing the mandatory-weighing procedure in his title fight against Jorge Solis March of last year.
Now Bob Arum is making it his goal to “make him a superstar” in the same mold of Pacquiao without even mentioning the name of the biggest fighter in the land. This fight, televised by HBO, will be the telling bout of his career – and paycheck.
“The goal, as in any fighter, is to make him a pay-per-view attraction,” said Arum. “How long that will take? It is sort of silly to make a projection. It will come when it comes. When it comes it will launch him into the elite superstar category where he will make his money based on how many people follow him on pay-per-view. I wouldn’t say ’12 or ’13. We’ll know when it is time to make the move and cannot put artificial projections in the way of getting to the goal we want to get to.”
Donaire is up to the challenge.
“I always believe my power is enough to change the fight regardless of how many rounds it is. I have said it over and over that the most satisfying victory is a knockout victory. But if I don’t get it I am ready for 12 rounds. I train for 24 rounds like it’s nothing so we are always ready for the longest it can be or the shortest it can be. There is no prediction but I want to get him as early as I can, getting hit as little as I can,” Donaire said in the same interview.
“My punches will be more devastating.”
Here’s hoping those punches reverberate all over the city that never sleeps.
(Marc Anthony Reyes is a veteran sportswriter of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He normally monitors the PSC-POC beat and the country’s tennis scene. He is also a veteran of several international coverages. Follow him on Twitter: @crj700)