Nonito Donaire

Saturday's bout between Nonito Donaire and Omar Narvaez was yet another main event that failed to live up to expectations, proving that boxing desperately needs a major bout between premier fighters to get some excitement injected into the sport.

The main event on Saturday was arguably the worst fight of the night, which cannot happen.

What boxing needs is a Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao bout, which we may never see, but even if those two don't square off in a historic match, each of them needs to fight more.

They are two prominent fighters that even the casual fan who rarely watches boxing would feel compelled to watch fight.

Another idea that would help is having the entire night's card be made up of talented fighters, and not just a few big names.

Having exciting boxers who are trying to prove themselves in the sport with so much to gain would make for really exciting fights, and would raise the level of interest in boxing.

The amount of lackluster fights, combined with controversial endings (such as Mayweather's victory versus Ortiz), proves boxing needs a massive fight to not only satisfy the hardcore fans, but attract the causal fans who would surely turn in to see a big fight with marquee names.

The reason people love to watch boxers like Pacquiao is because he gives you at least one moment in every fight where you're like, "did you see that!" He also turns in some knockouts of the year nearly quite often.

Mayweather and Pacquiao give us the sensational and exciting moments the sport of boxing thrives on, and without them, there aren't enough of those highlight moments.

Boxing needs a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight badly, but more importantly it needs other fighters who are able to step up and become the stars and dominant forces that Mayweather and Pacquiao currently are.

As Manny Pacquiao ages into his mid-30s and shows greater and greater interest in his outside-the-ring activities, the boxing hype machine has already begun its search for "The Next Manny Pacquiao."  It didn't take long for Nonito Donaire to become the consensus candidate for this designation, due in part to his success in the ring, but in larger part to his Filipino nationality.

After Donaire's most recent fight, the hype machine may start looking elsewhere.  

Like Pacquiao before him, Donaire has been working his way up the weight classes, and after defeating bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel, announced that he would fight Omar Narvaez in Narvaez's first fight in the United States.  Narvaez, a 36 year old former Olympian southpaw, is a respected boxer who came into the fight with an undefeated record and offered Donaire the chance to build his credibility in his first fight in New York City by dueling with a respected fighter. 

According to the scorecards of all three judges, Donaire won every round in the 12 round fight. Though he connected solidly on very few punches, Donaire's victory was a result of an overly defensive fight by Narvaez that caused sporadic boos to reign down on the fighters from the New York fight fans.  Narvaez's hands were in a perpetual block position from bell to bell, content to prevent Donaire from knocking him out, rather than attempting to win himself.  His comments in his corner caught by cameras confirmed this attitude. 

For his part, Donaire remained relatively aggressive throughout, but was unable to make any significant impact on Narvaez.  This was due in large part to Narvaez never opening up enough to allow Donaire to land a punch, but also due to Donaire showing little creativity in forcing openings.  Narvaez was content to allow Donaire to win the fight, and Donaire played it safe and went along with Narvaez's strategy.  While this patience showed maturity, it does not bode well for future fights against boxers with defensive talent equal to Narvaez who aren't afraid to throw a few punches.

At the end of the 11th round, Donaire was heard telling his corner "I'm bored."  He wasn't the only one.  

This Saturday night, Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) will be defending his WBC/WBO World Bantamweight 118-lb titles against current WBO junior bantamweight 115-lb champion from Argentina, Omar "El Huracan" Narvaez (35-0-2, 19 KOs). This will be taking place in New York City at Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theatre and on HBO's Boxing After Dark (starting at 10:30 p.m. ET).

Donaire, who is at his prime at 28, is on a nine-year-and-25-bout winning streak and is making his first fighting appearance in New York.

Narvaez, who is a 36-year-old veteran, is making his U.S. and HBO debut. His 37-fight career has taken place in Argentina with a few fights in Europe. He is undefeated with two draws; his last draw was against Andrea Sarritzu in 2003.

Donaire, who was born in the Philippines and grew up in San Leandro, California, has a solid, strong, formidable boxing team in promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, trainer Robert Garcia and manager Cameron Dunkin. His team is looking to take him and his extradionary boxing skills to the next level. This is a major pay-per-view attraction.

In Donaire's last fight in February of this year, he knocked out Fernando Montial in the second round. In his previous fights, he had knockout wins over Vladimir Sydorenko in 2010 and Vic Darchinyan in 2007.

Narvaez was a former Olympian for the Argentine team in 1996 and 2000, had amateur wins over Dominican Joan Guzman in 1996 and Canadian Steve Molitor in 1999 and lost to Ukrainian Vladimir Sydorenko in 2000, whom Donaire KO'd in 2010 as a pro.

In his last three fights this year, Narvaez has defended his WBO junior bantamweight 115-lb title in Argentina defeating—by unanimous decision—Victor Zaleta, Cesar Seda and William Urina this past June.

Standing at 5'3" Narvaez has a reputation of taking his fights the distance and pulling out with the victory, saying he is "prepared and ready." He will be moving up in weight from 115 lbs to 118 lbs.

Donaire, at 5'7", has an advantage in this fight and has said this will be his last fight at 118 lbs. He is looking to move up to super bantamweight at 122 lbs.

As reported this week on www.fightnews.com, Donaire and trainer Robert Garcia have stated that they've trained hard and prepared well, that they don't take "any opponent lightly." Donaire plans on being "faster, stronger, and smarter" against Narvaez, and plans on knocking out Narvaez "in the first opportunity he has," states Garcia.

A sold-out audience of 4,500 at the MSG WaMu Theatre is expected tomorrow night along with a big HBO home audience viewing this exciting matchup between Donaire and Narvaez. Don't miss it.  

The No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Nonito Donaire, returns this Saturday, October 22nd on HBO's Boxing After Dark to defend his WBC bantamweight title against undefeated Argentinian Omar Narvaez, who is currently a champion at super featherweight.

After such an impressive destructive knockout victory over former pound-for-pound WBC bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel last February, most fight fans and media were thirsting for Donaire to step back into the ring.

But, he was out for most of the rest of 2011 due to negotiations with his promoter Top Rank and a brief cold war with rival promoter Golden Boy promotions, who at one point claimed to have officially acquired and signed him assuming his contract was up.

Donaire is now currently back with Top Rank, and it appears the promotions team is now willing and ready to promote him like the true star that he is, both inside and outside the ring. And, that is one of the reasons why Donaire vs. Narvaez is taking place in the world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York.

Donaire, who is Filipino-American from San Leandro, Calif., holds an impressive record of 26(18)-1, having not lost a fight since his second pro fight in 2001.

He has all the makings of becoming a big star with a best-of-both-worlds fighting style.

He has a high ring IQ and can technically break down his opponents, but he's also got tremendous speed and one-punch knockout power that will have most fight fans excited when he perfectly counter-punches and eventually stops his opponents.

Narvaez is undefeated with a perfect record of 35(19)-0-2. This will be his American debut, and he will be stepping up in weight class from super featherweight, where he is a champion.

Donaire vs. Narvaez from the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York can be seen on HBO's Boxing After Dark on Saturday, Oct. 22nd at 10:30 p.m. ET. The HBO Sports team of Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr. will be ringside for all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

The fight will re-air on HBO (October 23rd at 8:30 a.m. and October 24th at 12:45 a.m.) and on HBO2 (October 23rd at 4:30 p.m. and October 25th at 11:00 p.m. ET).

Before Donaire vs. Narvaez, all the action begins with the return of boxing's biggest star, Manny Pacquiao, as Pacquiao/Marquez 24/7 debuts at 10:00 p.m. ET in what will be a four-part episode of the award-winning reality program 24/7.

Prior to the live Donaire vs. Narvaez fight, HBO will revisit the Oct. 15th pay-per-view telecast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. HBO will air highlights of 52-year-old Dewey Bozella’s pro debut versus Larry Hopkins, show select rounds of the dramatic Antonio DeMarco-Jorge Linares lightweight battle and replay the controversial Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson showdown.

KING J is the Bleacher Report Boxing Community Leader and a Featured Columnist. All information was provided directly to him via email press release from the executive producers of HBO.

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Manny Pacquiao is training hard for his third bout with Juan Manuel Marquez.

The two fought to a draw in their first bout and Pacquiao won in a split decision the second time around.

Things are different now though. Pacquiao is considered the world's top pound-for-pound fighter and JMM is stepping up in weight for the first time since his bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

But while that fight is still a little less than a month away, there is a fight this weekend that has the aura of Pacquiao surrounding it as well.

Nonito Donaire, a 28-year-old Filipino fighter, is set to defend his unified WBO and WBC bantamweight titles at Madison Square Garden against Omar Narvaez.

Donaire is 26-1 with 18 knockouts in his career and credits Pacquiao as a huge inspiration in his career.

The two, according to an article from On the Beak, are friends and have even sparred together.

The quoted defending champion talking on Top Rank TV as saying:

"Manny is a part of why I’m here, he’s inspired me ... There’s no impossibility of what a man can do when they have that desire in the ring. Manny’s a big part of my success [and] was one of my inspirations as a Filipino. Manny opened a door for me ... I’ve known him since 2000… we used to karaoke a lot and he taught me how to fight lefties. I sparred with Manny in 2001 back at Wildcard."

That training will come in handy as he'll take on undefeated Argentine southpaw, Omar Narvaez, on October 22.

The 36-year-old fighter is 35-0-2 for his career, but gives up four inches to the "Filipino Flash."

The fight will be a battle, but one that Donaire feels more than ready to handle.

If his inspiration from Manny Pacquiao is any indication, he'll do just fine at the Garden.

While already 28-years-old, Donaire seems poised to take the reigns as the top Filipino fighter in the sport whenever Pacquiao decides to hang up the gloves.

Nonito Donaire, the WBC and WBO bantamweight champion and The Ring's No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, makes his Madison Square Garden debut against the undefeated, two-division world champion Omar Narvaez this Saturday, October 22.

I watch too much boxing to buy the hype that one particularly bad PPV sounds the death toll for the entire sport. Just the same, it is probably a good thing the next nationally prominent fight following the embarrassment of last weekend's Hopkins-Dawson fiasco will be featuring the almost always exciting "Filipino Flash" Donaire against Argentinian Narvaez. Nothing is ever sure in sports, but this matchup should bring the thrills one way or another.

For those unfamiliar with Donaire, last week I published this short primer on the fighter many consider the most exciting young talent in the sport.

I also posted this piece featuring highlights from a media call I sat in on last Thursday with Donaire, his trainer Robert Garcia and his promoter Bob Arum.  

This fight will be broadcast live on HBO's Boxing After Dark, starting at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. I will also be blogging the fight live with updates on preliminary bouts and a between round scorecard, right here on Bleacher Report from the press row of historical Madison Square Garden. 

Check back throughout the week for updates and breaking information on this exciting New York City matchup. 

Yesterday afternoon, I participated in a media conference call set up by Top Rank Boxing in which bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, his trainer Robert Garcia and his promoter Bob Arum discussed Donaire's October 22 fight in Madison Square Garden against undefeated, two-division champion Omar Narvaez of Argentina. 

Arum's objective for this fight is clear—he wants Donaire's debut in the historic Garden to be a signature moment in the sport's history. He's promoting a fight in nine days, sure. But the end goal is a career that he hopes might become boxing's next big thing.

"I really believe Nonito will become a big star in boxing," Arum said. "People who are fans of boxing already know he's one of the pound-for-pound best boxers. Our goal is to make him a superstar. We expect as he rises in weight, he will become more popular."

But when pressed for a timeline for when Donaire's big ascent to superstardom might occur, the veteran promoter demurred, "The goal like with anything in boxing is to make him a pay-per-view attraction. To put a time line on it is kind of silly. It will happen when it happens—I'm not going to set an artificial projection of when it has to happen."

One thing Donaire made clear was that this will be his last fight at 118 pounds. "I definitely didn't expect it to be this difficult—it wasn't easy the last two fights."

Donaire explained that since his last fight, a sensational second-round KO of Fernando Montiel, he has trained hard to bulk up physically, adding heavy muscle mass to his frame.

Donaire added that he looked forward to his potential challenges when moving up, noting "there are a lot of incredible fighters (that) Top Rank has at 122."

While there was a lot of talk during the call about Donaire's future, the fighter and trainer made it very clear that they were not looking past their opponent for a week from this Saturday. Garcia emphasized that "Donaire took this fight very seriously." He added, "We've had great sparring, a great training camp—Nonito is in tremendous shape."

Donaire echoed that the training for this fight has been rigorous. "I really put my faith in my training," the 29-year-old rising star stated humbly. "That's what my confidence comes from, training really hard."

While team Donaire was clearly optimistic about their chances, they were quick to emphasize that they consider Narvaez a world-class talent and a legitimate threat, despite the fact that he gives up four inches to Donaire and not an insignificant amount of foot and hand speed.

Garcia noted that Narvaez is "very experienced. He knows how to take a fight into the later rounds."

When I asked Garcia if he saw any specific tactical problems Narvaez might present, he replied, "He's been in with good fighters, but no Nonito Donaire's. So he's going to be putting together a game plan with his team, and we'll have to take the first few rounds and see what he's trying to do. We'll see what he does. Nonito's very good at reacting." 

All the smart money has to be on Donaire for this fight. The 26(18)-1 Filipino-American would seem to just be too physically powerful and athletically gifted for the 5'3" Narvaez, 35(19)-0-2. The game plan clearly calls for Donaire to put this victory in the bank and continue his march toward greatness. 

Arum's placement of Donaire in Madison Square Garden at this point is a clear-cut attempt to raise his talented client's profile. "It will be great for Nonito's future to get exposure in New York, against an undefeated opponent."

Nonito Donaire versus Omar Narvaez will be broadcast on HBO's Boxing After Dark at 10:30 ET on October 22. I will be blogging the fight live from Madison Square Garden.

Former IBF super featherweight champion, and former two time IBF featherweight champion, Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero is teaming up with the Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual fund raising walk to pay tribute, and bring hope, to people battling cancer.

As many fight fans know Robert's wife has been battling leukemia for the last several years. Robert often would quickly dismantle his opponents in the ring and hop on a plane to be with his wife in the hospital.

Back in April we had the honor of interviewing Guerrero who was just about to fight Michael Katsidis co-headlining the Action Heroes card. I had asked him how his wife was doing with her constant battle with leukemia and how we could help out with that cause:

King J: Many of us are well aware of your wife's constant battle with leukemia. We often saw you knock your opponent out and quickly leave the ring to fly back home to be by her side. How is she currently? Are there any charities that you are affiliated with that we may help support?

Robert Guerrero:  Right now my wife is cancer free, thank God.  We usually team up with www.lls.org and do some fund raising with them.  Its all about getting people registered in the bone marrow registry.  With a simple cotton swab sample you can save a life. 

With it being October and Breast Cancer Awareness month, many charities are holding events and fundraisers to help fight cancer, raise awareness, and earn funding for research and helping those who are suffering from the horrible disease. I say lets all do our part to help knock out cancer once and for all.

Other boxing superstars, such as Floyd Mayweather Jr, have worn pink boxing trunks and pink boxing gloves during his fight with Carlos Baldomir in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

It has been reported that fast rising super star Nonito Donaire is planning on wearing pink as well in his in his highly anticipated return to the ring against Omar Narvaez on October 22nd.

Today Oscar De La Hoya said on Twitter:

Please please please where pink do something to create more awareness for breast cancer.

 

According to a press release from Team Guerrero,  Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual fund raising walk to pay tribute and bring hope to people battling cancer. Hundreds of thousands of participants raise funds for lifesaving research and patient services.

For more than 60 years, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has been solely focused on people with blood cancers. Presently, we have more than $250 million committed to research across the United States and in ten other countries. Every dollar is provided by concerned donors. We invest in the best, outcome based science:

• Anywhere, with no geographic or institutional boundaries
• Without profit incentive
• To meet unmet Medicare needs of people with blood cancers 

And LLS funded advances are helping patients beyond those for whom they were originally developed, including people with solid tumors and auto-immune diseases. In the past decade, nearly 50% (19 put of 39) of the cancer drugs approved by the FDA were approved as treatments for blood cancer patients. Twelve are already approved for people beyond those for whom they were first developed. With your help, we are saving lives.

• A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.
• A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.
• A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.
• A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.

Please join our team's effort today by registering to walk or by making a donation. Your participation in the Light The Night Walk will help save lives. Be sure to check our team Web site frequently to see our progress, and thanks for your support! Click here to donate.

 

I personally think its inspiring to see these great champions use their celebrity influence for such an important cause. For the record I think we all should do our part as well. I have already donated to Team Guerrero's page, donated to another breast cancer charity at my local Whole Foods, and I will continue to donate where ever I see they are collecting donations. Also on top of all that I will be and have been wearing my pink Lacoste shirts and pink Burberry shirts on all the weekends of this month. 

KING J is the Bleacher Report Boxing Community Leader and a Featured Columnist. All information was provided to him via exclusive interview conducted by him as well as a press release emailed directly to him from the publicist of Robert Guerrero.

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