Pound for pound king, Manny Pacquiao is a Pilipino pugilist who fights in America. His possible heir apparent, Nonito Donaire is an American fighter who does not forget his Pilipino heritage. While Pacquiao was on the plane flying from Philippines to Los Angeles, Nonito Donaire hosted a gym work out to a growing army of Filipino fans that showed up to see the rising star at the Undisputed Gym in San Carlos, California. It was a real treat.
Nonito treated packed house at the Undisputed gym to ten hard rounds of sparring, Q&A with fans and media, autograph signing session, ruffle and prizes along with other exercises which included fan interaction. It was as if Donaire has been doing it all his life.
Considering that the best fighter on the planet is contemplating retirement and looks toward his future in politics, could Nonito Donaire be the one to take over? I asked Nonito’s trainer to elaborate.
“If we talk about accomplishments, Manny Pacquiao has done it all,” said Roberto Garcia when I interviewed him yesterday in San Carlos:”He’s beaten everybody in the world. He’s moved up from flyweight to super welterweight, which is something that we might never see again. But if we talk about skills; he is there or may be slight better than Pacquiao. You never know his skills are so good that I could say he is as good or even better, but if we talk about accomplishments we can not take it away from Manny Pacquiao. He ‘s done so much and deserves that spot to be pound for pound best in the world.”
But one can not help but to draw parallels between the two, especially considering that Nonito won his first title at 112 pounds and his camp talking about moving up in weight division after division. Recently I saw a photograph of Nonito standing next to Miguel Cotto in New York. Nonito Donaire looked taller.
“He is very tall,” confirmed trainer, Roberto Garcia:” That’s why we know he is going to dominate super bantamweight, feather weight, junior lightweight and eventually, one day hopefully even a lightweight division. He’s got the height. He’s got the speed, he’s got the power to dominate those divisions and who knows, may be even junior welterweight division. But right now we’ve got to take it one fight at a time. “
Next on tap for Nonito is an undefeated, former amateur stand out from Argentine, Omar Andres Narvaez (35-0-2,19KO’S), a southpaw with a punch. They will square off in the ring on October 22nd at the Ballroom in Madison Square Garden in New York City. HBO will televise live.
“His next fight after this,” continued Garcia who drives back and forth from Oxnard to San Carlos at least three times a week to train Nonito:” We are planning on moving up to 122. Two or three fights there, than he’ll be a featherweight and eventually a junior lightweight, five or six fights from now.”
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