Donaire's hand after the fight versus Vasquez.
MANILA, Philippines—Nonito Donaire Jr. showed he still has the power at 122 pounds, but his hands took a pounding.
This was evident Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) when The Filipino Flash hacked out a split decision win over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. to grab the World Boxing Organization super bantamweight crown in San Antonio, Texas.
In his initial foray into the super bantamweight ranks, Donaire proved his punching might when he became the first man to knock down the Puerto Rican Vazquez in the ninth round, landing a left uppercut followed by his lethal left hook.
That Donaire couldn’t finish Vazquez off may be largely due to the left-hand injury he sustained anywhere from the second to the fourth rounds of their 12-round showdown at the Alamodome.
Donaire later showed to the media a bloody left-hand wrap, caused by the scraping of his knuckles, which is mainly due to the recoil impact of every punch he landed on Vazquez.
Initial reports said Donaire, a former flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight champ, sustained a minor fracture on his fist.
Renowned promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, however, wants to make sure that the left hand of the world’s No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter is well taken care of.
Arum has reportedly hired the best doctors to examine and treat Donaire’s left hand.
Eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao also suffer hand injuries after a bout in the heavier classes. His hands swell from the sheer number of punches he landed either on his opponent’s face or rib cage.