Nonito Donaire

Boxing fans can begin cheering. A very exciting encounter is around the corner. Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux are now scheduled to meet on April 27 in the fight capital of the world. This fight is guaranteed to be electrifying and is a beautiful treat for frustrated boxing aficionados.

Top Rank has brought the first clash of superstars to this year's calendar. This is an excellent challenge between two very well-rounded and thrilling fighters. Donaire impressed beyond measure as the HBO headliner last December in his dismantling of the quintessential fan favourite, Jorge Arce. The Cuban, Rigondeaux, had his chance to showcase his superlative skills on the co-main event, thwarted by a last minute pullout by his opponent.

This bout will pit two of the sport's greatest rising superstars against one another. This is today's generation's Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather that their predecessors never managed to elicit. Eternal glory, superstardom, elite pound-for-pound rankings are at stake along with the WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine titles in this 122-pound clash.

Donaire is 31-1 with 20 knockouts. He is the current king of the uber-competitive Super Bantamweight division. The possessor of furious knockout power and unbelievable quickness, he is the complete package. He is fan-friendly with controlled aggression and sublime technique, and is a purer boxer than his esteemed countryman, Manny Pacquiao.

The now 30-year-old burst on to the scene in 2007 when he knocked out, then 28-0, Vic Darchinyan; the "The Filipino Flash" has embraced stardom since. This epic encounter at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas will be the most heavily promoted contest to date for the fast-rising phenom. It will be the forum for him to answer if he is the next big thing in boxing. His opponent is worthy of the hype behind this showdown.

Guillermo Rigondeaux is an amateur boxing icon. The 2000 and 2004 Olympic gold medalist is now 11-0 as pro. In his last bout, he deflated some of his own mystique with a curiously pedestrian performance, but was still overtly dominant. "El Chacal" seemed content to simply do enough to win a decision and never really pressed the action.  It did give critics reason to murmur and cause supporters to slightly doubt, yet he became the full WBA champion as a result of the unanimous decision win.

This will be the most difficult professional test for the Cuban sensation. He has yet to face any foe of merit in the professional ranks and has proven he can easily outclass B and C level challengers. At 32 years old, it is time for him to step up in competition. Impressively, he has accepted a big jump in class and a win will cause an explosion in the boxing world. Furthermore, it will answer if he is the real deal or not.

Rigondeaux has the speed, technique and pedigree to be a legend. While he might be the greatest technical fighter in the universe, he has never met a proven champion like Donaire, and while Donaire has defeated big names in boxing, he has never faced off against such a perfect boxing machine as Guillermo before. Any advantage in power that Donaire might have could be offset by the Cuban's athleticism, boxing I.Q., counter-punching  and slick defense. One could submit for debate, based on achievements and analyses, that these two are better than Mayweather and Pacquiao ever were.

While the sporting world would still greatly benefit from witnessing a Pac-Man-Mayweather bout, it is less relevant now than it once was. They remain Hall of Famers and truly great champions but Manny is now 34 and has lost two in a row; his last knockout was in 2009. Floyd is 36 next month. He continues to taint his illustrious legacy by spending his final years fighting weak competition.Today, in 2013, the better fight is the one in April than any theoretical blockbuster between two great fighters; the torch has been passed.

The Nonito Donaire-Guillermo Rigondeaux showdown is is arguably the biggest blockbuster available in boxing today. Ring Magazine ranks Donaire as No. 3 pound-for-pound and has Rigondeaux as the division's No. 1 contender. This clearly surpasses  fighters who have yet to sign for a fight this year—Canelo Alvarez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao—and is more intriguing than the scheduled fights for Andre Ward post-surgery (Kelly Pavlik), Sergio Martinez (Martin Murray) and Adrien Broner (Gavin Rees).

Either fighter will also have a great test in the division's other champion, Abner Mares. Excitingly, there is Gary Russell Jr.,who is billed as a blue-chip prospect, waiting at 126.  Hopefully, there will be at least a trilogy here between these two cavaliers and additional blockbuster fights with Mares and Russell. Boxing could be on the precipice of a watershed era tantamount to: Hagler, Hearns, Sugar and Duran.

Boxing's future is bright with stars like these two who are actually willing to make the big fights happen! As the wall at Kronk gym expounds, "The greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward."

These two are boxing's best bet to become the next pay-per-view kings and legends of the sport. Credit both of them for taking this fight as it is dangerous for both. Prepare yourself to witness two artists that are renowned masters in their skill. This transcends Manning-Brady, Federer-Nadal, Kobe-Lebron; this is boxing. April 27, 2013 will be etched in sporting lore forever.

As 2012 draws to a close, Nonito Donaire is the runaway favorite to garner Fighter of the Year honors from publications like The Ring and among the community of online boxing writers.  

Juan Manuel Marquez's stunning knockout of Manny Pacquiao on December 8 will get him in the conversation. Adrien Broner's continued emergence as a pound-for-pound star and his successful dismantling of Antonio Demarco after moving up to lightweight might earn him some nods.

I wouldn't even be shocked to see some mentions for 2011 winner Andre Ward, or for Abner Mares or flyweight kingpin Brian Viloria.

But my own choice will be Donaire, and I expect this vote will place me in a sizable majority.

Donaire fought four times in 2012, and all of his opponents were world-class, top five to 10-level talent.

In February, he took on Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. for the vacant WBO junior featherweight title in his first fight at 122 pounds. Although the official verdict was a split decision, the judge who had Vazquez winning should be removed from duty. Donaire knocked Vazquez down in the ninth round and controlled virtually every round of the fight.

In July, Donaire fought a unification bout with IBF champion Jeffrey Mathebula. Given up nearly half a foot in height, Donaire again cruised to an easy victory, dropping Mathebula in the fourth and eventually capturing a unanimous decision.

Donaire's October fight against Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka was expected to be his toughest fight in years. Instead, it gave Donaire an opportunity to once more demonstrate why most people have him at, or near, the pound-for-pound top five. He knocked down Nishioka in the sixth and finished him in the ninth.

Then, on December 15, Donaire closed out the year by meeting four-division world champion and future Hall of Famer Jorce Arce. A slightly smaller fighter, Arce's aggressive style seemed almost designed to highlight Donaire's explosive counterpunching abilities. He KOd the Mexican legend in three. 

Donaire is among the most naturally gifted fighters in the world, but signing up for 48 rounds against that kind of quality within one year's time requires a degree of professional focus that marks the truly elite.   

Still just 30, Donaire is poised to become one of the sport's true international stars during the next couple of years. But unlike his fellow countryman, Manny Pacquiao, the slender Donaire seems unlikely to rise above the 126 to 130-pound range.

And achieving true superstar status is always going to be more difficult for a smaller fighter. That's why, in the quest to build Nonito Donaire into a pay-per-view-type attraction, Top Rank boss Bob Arum is going to need to take some risks and match up Donaire against the toughest competition possible.

Donaire is going to enter 2013 as the recognized Fighter of the Year for 2012. But to keep his momentum going, there is one fight that he absolutely needs to make during the first quarter of the year: Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the most decorated amateur boxers in history, Rigondeaux has made a huge impact in the pro game in a short amount of time. Since turning professional in May of 2009, he has gone undefeated in 11 fights, winning eight by knockout.

Normally, you would never hear a fighter with less than a dozen professional fights mentioned as a must-see opponent for a champion with Donaire's resume.

But Rigondeaux is not your average fighter. Not even remotely.

Last January, Rigondeaux captured the WBA world title in just his ninth fight, when he pounded the previously undefeated Rico Ramos and stopped him in six. In June, he stopped Teon Kennedy in five.

Ramos and Kennedy might never end up getting enshrined in Canestota, but they were both very talented and well thought of prospects. Guillermo's easy handling of them was unprecedented, and it has gotten hardcore boxing fans anxious to see more.  

Everybody knows how good Donaire is. Nobody can know for sure how good Rigondeaux is yet, but is seems clear that the only way to find out is going to be to have him fight an elite talent like Donaire.

Since both fighters are signed with Top Rank, it's a win-win match up for Bob Arum. Donaire continues to emerge as one of the sport's biggest stars, but he needs another big-name opponent to keep his standing high among hardcore fans.  

Rigondeaux is already a darling among the boxing faithful, but he hasn't had time to build up his name recognition among the more casual crowd. A high-profile tilt with Donaire propels him to the next level.

Donaire would be the favorite, but it would almost certainly be a tougher night for him than he saw during 2012. Potentially, we could be looking at the start of boxing's next great rivalry, the new generation's version of Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.

There is, of course, a third wheel that needs to be mentioned in any discussion about the 122-pound division. WBC champion Abner Mares had a pretty terrific 2012 too, and has pushed himself onto a lot of pound-for-pound top 10 lists.

Ideally, all three of these great fighters would have at it in 2013, round-robbin style. Unfortunately, Mares is signed with rival Golden Boys. That doesn't make a fight with Donaire impossible, but much more difficult to arrange.

In the meantime, the Filipino Flash should stay busy with Guillermo Rigondeaux.   

Nonito Donaire won more than a fight this past weekend; he also showed his commitment to performing at a high level and doing it the right way.

Coming into his fight this past weekend with Mexican warrior Jorge Arce, the Filipino sensation and WBO junior featherweight champion announced his participation in the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) testing protocol.

Donaire, who came under scrutiny for his relationship with Victor Conte of BALCO fame, stated he did it to show his fans and the boxing community he is a clean fighter.

He never tested positive, and decided to get out in front and go the extra mile to prove his achievements are the result of skill and not chemical enhancement. For this he deserves credit, and one can hope he'll serve as an example to other fighters.

But to think that he can do it alone is naive. 

It's time for VADA to adopted nationwide for all fights and it's incumbent on the sanctioning bodies—the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO—to make this happen before someone gets hurt, or worse.

By imposing these standards, the sanctioning bodies will be sending a very strong message—if you want to compete for titles and make big money, you must prove you're clean.

This topic, which has already caused reckonings in sports such as baseball and football, takes on a special urgency in boxing that it doesn't in the others.

In baseball, steroids can speed up your reflexes and cause you to hit the ball harder or farther. They can help you recover faster and add a few more miles of extra zip to your fastball.

In boxing, the extra power or speed of a punch can end a career or even a life. 

In a year where several prominent fighters, including Lamont Peterson, Andre Berto and Antonio Tarver have tested positive for banned substances, it's time to get serious.

Many have argued that this represents just the tip of the iceberg as steroid testing is notoriously easy to beat and many states don't even require stringent drug testing.

Even a state like Nevada, which hosts several high-profile fights each year, has a very limited testing program that informs fighters in advance when they will be tested, and doesn't require testing for Human Growth Hormone (HGH) or synthetic testosterone.

And these are among the toughest standards in the nation.

This type of model, which is the antithesis of VADA, makes testing a joke and easy to beat. 

VADA on the other hand relies on random testing, which can be conducted anytime in the eight weeks prior to a bout at their discretion, and immediately releases results upon their completion.

Current drug testing usually consists of just a pre- and post-fight urine test, and results are often not seen for weeks.

There have been examples of fighters who tested positive before a fight and were allowed to compete because their second round of testing wasn't done in time.

With VADA, the test results are complete, sanctioning bodies and state athletic commissions are informed immediately and decisions can be made. 

No more wait-and-see attitudes about whether a fighter is walking into the ring with an illegal and perhaps dangerous advantage.

Nonito Donaire has taken a very important first step in this process. But no fighter, even one as good and popular as the Filipino Flash, can do it on his own.

It's sad that we've come to a point of guilty until proven innocent. But while this may leave a bad taste in some people's mouths, it reflects the reality of the situation.

Steroids and other PED's have no place in boxing. You don't just cheat the sport and your opponents when you use them, you put lives on the line.

The sanctioning bodies need to jump in on this and do something they rarely do—lead.

They are the only organizations, short of any sort of national boxing authority, with the power to make this change and make it stick.

Nonito Donaire is one of the most formidable boxing headliners, and his third-round knockout of Jorge Arce shows that he is ready to ascend even higher in his sport's hierarchy.

The Filipino Flash's profile has been raised by his own excellence and his countryman Manny Pacquiao's formidable knockout defeat at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8.

It seems quite obvious that Donaire and Pacquiao are moving in opposite directions in the sport.

Donaire, 30, fought four times in 2012 and his results were better every time he stepped into the ring. He started the year with a split-decision victory over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in February. He followed that with a unanimous decision win over Jeffrey Mathebula in July.

Donaire took down Japanese fighter Toshiaki Nishioka with a ninth-round TKO in October before stopping Arce in the third round on Dec. 15.

Pacquiao fought twice in 2012 and he lost a controversial decision to Timothy Bradley in June before suffering his brutal sixth-round defeat to Marquez.

Pacquiao has not said whether he will continue with his career and try to reverse his most recent results or if he will retire. He is clearly considering the possibility of leaving the sport. He has future options in politics and show business and his wife, Jinkee, would like him to retire.

Donaire and Pacquiao have more in common than just their home country and their high-profile status in the sport they share. Both have similar hard punching and attacking styles. Both men are stylish boxers who are looking for a spot to unload their heaviest shots.

Donaire is the WBO super bantamweight champion. He fought at 121.5 pounds when he defeated Arce, and he has the frame to add more weight. Perhaps he could go as high as 130 or perhaps even 135 pounds, but it would be tough for the 5'5.5" Donaire to put any more weight on his frame.

While Donaire is recognized by the sport as a champion and one of the up-and-coming pound-for-pound fighters in the world, he is a long way from having the recognition that Pacquiao had during his prime years.

Pacquiao became perhaps the No. 2 fighter in the sport behind Floyd Mayweather and if a fight between those two has been arranged in 2008 or 2009, it might have been one of those transcendent boxing moments that occurs so infrequently.

A fight between those two might not have been as big as Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier in the 1970s, but it might have approached that level.

It's not likely Donaire will ever have that kind of popularity.

He is a skilled fighter who puts one impressive show after another. However, he does not have the same level of charisma as his countryman so it's unlikely he will be able to carry the sport the way Pacquiao has throughout his career.

Top pound-for-pound Filipino-American star Nonito Donaire just may have solidified his Fighter of the Year award for 2012 by knocking out the Mexican veteran star Jorge Arce at the end of the third round in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center.

Donaire patiently waited and countered Arce for much of the fight.

Arce was overly cautious in the first round, backing up and not willing to trade shots with the WBO super bantamweight champion, who knocked him down once in the second round and twice in the third round.

It was clear that the majority of the fight fans and media were right calling this fight an easy one-sided beatdown for the 30-year-old Donaire, who is very much still in his prime in comparison to the 33-year-old Mexican veteran who has made a career of punishing himself through many exciting bloody wars.

Donaire looked dominant and sharp and fought a near-perfect fight.

Of course, this fight between Donaire vs. Arce would have been a lot better had they fought years earlier.

I remember all the way back in 2008 walking out of the Manny Pacquiao vs. David Diaz fight with Nonito and his wife Rachel, and back then I felt Nonito was not getting the love and recognition he should be getting having knocked out Vic Darchinyan and a number of impressive dominating wins back to back.

All three of us were walking in the lobby of the Mandalay Bay and most of the Filipino fans were not even noticing Nonito.

But then we bumped into Jorge Arce and his wife.

Nonito asked Jorge for his phone number and if I could take a picture of them together.

Then some fans noticed this and began to ask both Nonito and Arce for their pictures and autographs.

I told Rachel that Nonito needs to fight this guy cause he is the big-money fight at your guy's weight class that will make you the most money and turn him into a big star overnight.

Jorge's wife heard me say this and began to laugh, and I felt bad because I assumed she could not either understand English or hear us talking, but she did.

Jorge's wife is rather lovely and took what I said as a compliment.

Fast forward to Saturday night four years later, and four weight classes higher these two warriors finally met inside the ring giving Nonito his career-high pay day of $1 million and Arce a good retirement check of $800,000.

You can not take anything away from Nonito; he is just that good that he makes most of his opponents go into survival mode, but perhaps his true challenges will be at 126 lbs or even 130 lbs?

The HBO commentating team praised Nonito for being one of the only fighters to take a big stand against performance-enhancement drugs in boxing by doing 365-days-a-year-random drug testing in a sport that has often been tainted by PEDs.

The way the commentators praised Nonito as soon as he knocked out Arce for doing random drug testing year round was almost like they were calling out Juan Manuel Marquez for his huge knockout of the year victory over Manny Pacquiao last weekend.

Arce and Marquez both use the same strength and conditioning coach who transformed the 39-year-old Marquez into an impressive body builder, and despite much speculation, Marquez confidently passed his post-fight drug tests that some may argue are not as extensive as the tests that Nonito partakes in.

Speaking of HBO commentators, the boxing Hall of Fame commentator, Larry Merchant will now retire from calling the fights after 35 years, and Donaire vs. Arce was his final fight.

The way Arce looked Saturday night inside the ring, it might not be such a bad idea for him to retire as well like Larry, but with a big paycheck and a beautiful wife that he has waiting for him like a true champion should have.

King J is the B/R Boxing Community Leader and Featured Columnist.

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