Nonito Donaire
Published by: Scott Levinson
Fighter Profile: Nonito Donaire "The Filipino Flash"
Nonito is a 27-year old super flyweight who has not lost since 2001. After a nice run at flyweight, he now seeks big matchups at 115 lbs. Donaire, 23-1 (15 KOs), hails from the Philippines, but now calls San Leandro, CA home.
Early Career
Donaire got off to an early start. Part of a boxing family, he didn’t have to look far to find the sport. His father was an amateur boxer and his older brother, Glenn, also took to the sport—eventually becoming a contender in his own right.
“The Filipino Flash” had an outstanding amateur career. After moving to the U.S., he won 3 national titles in the junior class. He failed to reach the 2000 Olympics, losing to future champion Brian Viloria. In 2001, he decided to try his luck in the punch-for-pay ranks.
Rising Through the Ranks
Signed by big-name manager Jackie Kallen, Donaire began his career with a certain amount of promise, but stalled out after failing to distinguish himself in his first four fights, even losing to 2-1 Rosendo Sanchez. Donaire went back to his native Philippines to regroup, winning a few fights before returning to California.
Donaire moved along, putting together a nice string of wins, without necessarily getting noticed. In a Shobox win over decent Kahren Harutyunyan, he showed good skills, but only won by split decision in a tough fight. Three wins followed, and at 17-1, he was thrown in against feared flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan.
Shocking the World! Donaire vs. Darchinyan
There was little reason to think Donaire would be much of a threat for the undefeated Darchinyan, who had left a trail of broken bones in his 6 title defenses. No challenger had managed to go the distance—including Nonito’s brother Glenn, who was outclassed by Darchinyan. The apparent hopelessness of Nonito’s challenge was reflected in the 8-1 odds against him.
Darchinyan was unable to bully Donaire who frequently struck with his sharp right hand and befuddled the champion with his fast feet and clever movement. In the fifth round, Donaire detonated a left hook on the chin of Darchinyan that sent him to la-la land. Darchinyan went down, and crushed his nose as he fell upon trying to rise. As the deposed champion left the ring, he still didn’t know what had hit him. It was a great win for Donaire. It was named the upset and KO of 2007 by Ring Magazine.
Post-Darchinyan
Donaire has kept fairly busy with 5 fights since the Darchinyan triumph. He remains on most pound-for-pound lists, but hasn’t really capitalized on the momentum from that huge win. We’re closing in on 3 years since he won the title, with all his fights being against low-profile opposition.
Future
Now that he’s at 115 lbs., a rematch with Darchinyan seems like a natural, but both sides can’t seem to get it together. Donaire is still young and his best work might still be ahead of him.
