Nonito Donaire Remains An Enigma

Published

13 years ago

July 11, 2012

Lee Wylie

Donaire Mathebula 120707 002a TSS Universe, who do you like in Donaire vs. Rigondeaux? Correct us if we're wrong, but we think a majority now see Rigo winning that, a different appraisal from a year ago. (Chris Farina-Top Rank)

Is the glass half empty? Or is it half full? Once again, there's an aura of disappointment after a Nonito Donaire fight. But why does this continue to be so?

The Filipino Flash remains an enigma. This time last year,many were convinced that Donaire was going to be the next pound for pound superstar of boxing. Three subpar showings later against Omar Narvaez,Miguel Vazquez Jr and now, Jeffrey Mathebula, and suddenly everyone is not so certain about Donaire's heir apparent credentials.

So we must ask ourselves: Have we all been a little guilty of overrating Nonito?

There's a fine line between frustration and disappointment. After watching Donaire's performance on Saturday night, my immediate feeling was that of frustration. I felt I SHOULD have been blown away by Donaire's performance. After all, when he's on it, Nonito possesses the all-round capabilities to become that rare breed of special fighter. But he can also infuriate.

On one hand, I see a fighter with extraordinary fighting abilities -his timing, footwork, weight transference when punching, athleticism and undervalued technical skills {his ability to parry and counter with the back hand is a lost art among current fighters} are of the highest order. Can we think of a better shot in boxing that encapsulates both the savagery and artistry of the sweet science as Donaire's counter left hook does? That stunning knockout of Fernando Montiel remains vivid in my mind.

On the other hand, I see a fighter who loads up too much with the left hand and who can sometimes becomes a tad predictable. How can a fighter with so much talent completely neglect the set up of his offense?A little patience and body work would also serve Donaire well in there.

Nevertheless, feeling frustrated with Donaire because we did not see more spark should not be confused with labelling his performance disappointing. Expectations are very high with Nonito. So much so, that unless we see a knockout, his fights are deemed almost as a failure. His Filipino counterpart has now gone five fights without a stoppage. Are Pacquiao's performances met with the same kind of hostility?

Overall, I thought Nonito put on a good display against a taller, rangier, awkward fighter. I can't recall Donaire ever having to give up as much height and length as he did on Saturday. With this in mind then, Donaire showed that he can mix things up if the situation arises -Donaire showed tremendous versatility as he walked his man down behind a high guard. Once inside, Donaire also showed that he can shorten up his punches in close which is in itself a skill that is often taken for granted. Let's not forget, Donaire almost had his opponent, who had never been stopped before I might add, out at the end of the fourth round -the headlines then would have read very differently on Sunday morning.

Having said that,Donaire did show a little vulnerability. I found it alarming how easy it was for Mathebula to land clean on Nonito at times with straight punches. Donaire's feet do most of the moving from the outside, but when he's in punching range, looking to land his vaunted left,defense seems to take a back seat as there's not much in the way of upper body or head movement at this range.Against the heavier punchers at 122 pounds, this could prove detrimental.

Lessons from the master

During his 135 pound prime, Roberto Duran was simply too much physical specimen for the vast majority of his opponents. At lightweight, Duran was a devastating puncher, whose animalistic demeanor often blinded his technical subtleties. A quick look at the third Ken Buchanan fight shows just how dominant the young lightweight version of Duran was. Buchanan, one of the finest pure boxers you'll ever see, saw his technique rendered useless against Duran's superior physicalities and aggression. At lightweight, Duran could bully his opponents.

As Duran moved up through the weights, so too did the danger of his opponents. Against bigger men,Duran was no longer able to fight in an ultra aggressive manner. If you take a look at the Duran who fought against Iran Barkley, you will see a complete contrast in his approach from the Buchanan fight. There's more in the way of jabbing, feinting, head movement and patience. Simply put, as he got older, Duran had to call upon the sweet science to aid him against larger prey. No longer the marauding aggressor of old, Duran had to out-technique many of his opponents from welterweight to middleweight.

Looking back at Donaire's flyweight days, it's clear to me that -regardless of what many believe- he is now fighting above his natural weight.Donaire's physique is now reminiscent of Pernell Whitaker's in the mid nineties -fleshier and bigger around the lower half of the body. Nevermind Donaire's height, it's his arms, legs and shoulders we should be paying attention to. It's because of this, that I question how much more weight Donaire will be able to pack onto his already overloaded frame. It is also clear that Donaire's power does not have the same affect on his opponents like it did a few pounds below. As a result, it is my belief that Donaire can no longer overwhelm his opponents the way he used to at those lower weights. Donaire, like Duran had to, must now adjust to the bigger, more dense jungle he finds himself hunting in.Rather than load up with the left hook every single time, Donaire must learn to set his shots up better and utilize the jab more, thus making the left hook less predictable when he opts to throw it. Donaire also needs to concentrate more on his defense and also WHEN to use it. It's obvious that his opponents are no longer going to drop every single time Donaire connects with his left hook or his right uppercut. If he's to dwell within punching range against bigger foe, his defense must tighten up, otherwise he runs the risk of leaving himself open to counters.

Don't get me wrong, emulating Roberto Duran is easier said than done. Duran was a master craftsman who could combine just about every aspect of boxing simultaneously. There haven't been many fighters throughout history who were greater than “Manos de Piedra”. One thing is clear though. Duran's greatness is a direct result of his ability to adapt as he moved up in weight. If he's to achieve true greatness, Donaire must learn to do the same.

The Fight

Lets be honest here, any mix of fights between Nonito Donaire, Abner Mares, Toshiaki Nishioka and Guillermo Rigondeaux would be captivating to say the least. However, only one of those fights would be truly mouth watering. In recent times, boxing fans have tolerated a lot as they've been deprived of such fights as Juan Manuel Lopez versus Yuriorkis Gamboa and the super fight that never will be, Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. Hopefully, boxing gets it right this time and everyone gets to see THE superfight at 122 pounds between Donaire and Rigondeaux. No disrespect to Jorge Arce, but if the fight with Donaire becomes a reality {which is looking increasingly likely} we can expect to see a high profile mis-match along the lines of Floyd Mayweather's annihilation of the late Auturo Gatti.

I'm not sure who I'd pick between Donaire and Rigondeaux. Both are super athletes with outstanding reflexes and coordination. Truthfully, I think Donaire has more layers to him, even though Rigo's technical ability is of a higher quality. Donaire's footwork -not that we saw much of it on Saturday night- is just that bit better in my opinion. I can also envision Rigondeaux having problems shutting down Donaire's left hand as Rigondeaux, a southpaw, would be carrying his lead hand quite low, possibly leaving himself vulnerable on offense. This is what makes the fight so intriguing. Rigo is like a sniper who can take you out from distance or in close. Likewise,Donaire can ambush from the sides or take you out from mid range. It's a must see fight that either man could win.

I really do think Donaire-Rigondeaux would be this era's version of Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns or Salvador Sanchez-Wilfredo Gomez.

Comment on this article

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Lee Wylie

“Breadman” Edwards: An Unlikely Boxing Coach with a Panoramic View of the Sport

Published

9 hours ago

May 8, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Stephen-Breadman-Edwards-An-Unlikely-Boxing-Coach-with-a-Panoramic-View-of-the-Sport

Stephen “Breadman” Edwards’ first fighter won a world title. That may be some sort of record.

It’s true. Edwards had never trained a fighter, amateur or pro, before taking on professional novice Julian “J Rock” Williams. On May 11, 2019, Williams wrested the IBF 154-pound world title from Jarrett Hurd. The bout, a lusty skirmish, was in Fairfax, Virginia, near Hurd’s hometown in Maryland, and the previously undefeated Hurd had the crowd in his corner.

In boxing, Stephen Edwards wears two hats. He has a growing reputation as a boxing coach, a hat he will wear on Saturday, May 31, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas when the two fighters that he currently trains, super middleweight Caleb Plant and middleweight Kyrone Davis, display their wares on a show that will air on Amazon Prime Video. Plant, who needs no introduction, figures to have little trouble with his foe in a match conceived as an appetizer to a showdown with Jermall Charlo. Davis, coming off his career-best win, an upset of previously undefeated Elijah Garcia, is in tough against fast-rising Cuban prospect Yoenli Hernandez, a former world amateur champion.

Edwards’ other hat is that of a journalist. His byline appears at “Boxing Scene” in a column where he answers questions from readers.

It’s an eclectic bag of questions that Breadman addresses, ranging from his thoughts on an upcoming fight to his thoughts on one of the legendary prizefighters of olden days. Boxing fans, more so than fans of any other sport, enjoy hashing over fantasy fights between great fighters of different eras. Breadman is very good at this, which isn’t to suggest that his opinions are gospel, merely that he always has something provocative to add to the discourse. Like all good historians, he recognizes that the best history is revisionist history.

“Fighters are constantly mislabled,” he says. “Everyone talks about Joe Louis’s right hand. But if you study him you see that his left hook is every bit as good as his right hand and it’s more sneaky in terms of shock value when it lands.”

Stephen “Breadman” Edwards was born and raised in Philadelphia. His father died when he was three. His maternal grandfather, a Korean War veteran, filled the void. The man was a big boxing fan and the two would watch the fights together on the family television.

Edwards’ nickname dates to his early teen years when he was one of the best basketball players in his neighborhood. The derivation is the 1975 movie “Cornbread, Earl and Me,” starring Laurence Fishburne in his big screen debut. Future NBA All-Star Jamaal Wilkes, fresh out of UCLA, plays Cornbread, a standout high school basketball player who is mistakenly murdered by the police.

Coming out of high school, Breadman had to choose between an academic scholarship at Temple or an athletic scholarship at nearby Lincoln University. He chose the former, intending to major in criminal justice, but didn’t stay in college long. What followed were a succession of jobs including a stint as a city bus driver. To stay fit, he took to working out at the James Shuler Memorial Gym where he sparred with some of the regulars, but he never boxed competitively.

Over the years, Philadelphia has harbored some great boxing coaches. Among those of recent vintage, the names George Benton, Bouie Fisher, Nazeem Richardson, and Bozy Ennis come quickly to mind. Breadman names Richardson and West Coast trainer Virgil Hunter as the men that have influenced him the most.

We are all a product of our times, so it’s no surprise that the best decade of boxing, in Breadman’s estimation, was the 1980s. This was the era of the “Four Kings” with Sugar Ray Leonard arguably standing tallest.

Breadman was a big fan of Leonard and of Leonard’s three-time rival Roberto Duran. “I once purchased a DVD that had all of Roberto Duran’s title defenses on it,” says Edwards. “This was a back before the days of YouTube.”

But Edwards’ interest in the sport goes back much deeper than the 1980s. He recently weighed in on the “Pittsburgh Windmill” Harry Greb whose legend has grown in recent years to the point that some have come to place him above Sugar Ray Robinson on the list of the greatest of all time.

“Greb was a great fighter with a terrific resume, of that there is no doubt,” says Breadman, “but there is no video of him and no one alive ever saw him fight, so where does this train of thought come from?”

Edwards notes that in Harry Greb’s heyday, he wasn’t talked about in the papers as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. The boxing writers were partial to Benny Leonard who drew comparisons to the venerated Joe Gans.

Among active fighters, Breadman reserves his highest praise for Terence Crawford. “Body punching is a lost art,” he once wrote. “[Crawford] is a great body puncher who starts his knockouts with body punches, but those punches are so subtle they are not fully appreciated.”

If the opening line holds up, Crawford will enter the ring as the underdog when he opposes Canelo Alvarez in September. Crawford, who will enter the ring a few weeks shy of his 38^th birthday, is actually the older fighter, older than Canelo by almost three full years (it doesn’t seem that way since the Mexican redhead has been in the public eye so much longer), and will theoretically be rusty as 13 months will have elapsed since his most recent fight.

Breadman discounts those variables. “Terence is older,” he says, “but has less wear and tear and never looks rusty after a long layoff.” That Crawford will win he has no doubt, an opinion he tweaked after Canelo’s performance against William Scull: “Canelo’s legs are not the same. Bud may even stop him now.”

Edwards has been with Caleb Plant for Plant’s last three fights. Their first collaboration produced a Knockout of the Year candidate. With one ferocious left hook, Plant sent Anthony Dirrell to dreamland. What followed were a 12-round setback to David Benavidez and a ninth-round stoppage of Trevor McCumby.

Breadman keeps a hectic schedule. From Monday through Friday, he’s at the DLX Gym in Las Vegas coaching Caleb Plant and Kyrone Davis. On weekends, he’s back in Philadelphia, checking in on his investment properties and, of greater importance, watching his kids play sports. His 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son are standout all-around athletes.

On those long flights, he has plenty of time to turn on his laptop and stream old fights or perhaps work on his next article. That’s assuming he can stay awake.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Arne’s Almanac: The Good, the Bad, and the (Mostly) Ugly; a Weekend Boxing Recap and More

Published

2 days ago

May 6, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Arne's-Almanac-The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-(mostly)-Ugly-A-Weeend-Boxing-Recap-and-More

Arne’s Almanac: The Good, the Bad, and the (Mostly) Ugly; a Weekend Boxing Recap and More

It’s old news now, but on back-to-back nights on the first weekend of May, there were three fights that finished in the top six snoozefests ever as measured by punch activity. That’s according to CompuBox which has been around for 40 years.

In Times Square, the boxing match between Devin Haney and Jose Carlos Ramirez had the fifth-fewest number of punches thrown, but the main event, Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero, was even more of a snoozefest, landing in third place on this ignoble list.

Those standings would be revised the next night – knocked down a peg when Canelo Alvarez and William Scull combined to throw a historically low 445 punches in their match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 152 by the victorious Canelo who at least pressed the action, unlike Scull (pictured) whose effort reminded this reporter of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” – no, not the movie starring Paul Newman, just the title.

CompuBox numbers, it says here, are best understood as approximations, but no amount of rejiggering can alter the fact that these three fights were stinkers. Making matters worse, these were pay-per-views. If one had bundled the two events, rather than buying each separately, one would have been out $90 bucks.

****

Thankfully, the Sunday card on ESPN from Las Vegas was redemptive. It was just what the sport needed at this moment – entertaining fights to expunge some of the bad odor. In the main go, Naoya Inoue showed why he trails only Shohei Ohtani as the most revered athlete in Japan.

Throughout history, the baby-faced assassin has been a boxing promoter’s dream. It’s no coincidence that down through the ages the most common nickname for a fighter – and by an overwhelming margin — is “Kid.”

And that partly explains Naoya Inoue’s charisma. The guy is 32 years old, but here in America he could pass for 17.

Joey Archer

Joey Archer, who passed away last week at age 87 in Rensselaer, New York, was one of the last links to an era of boxing identified with the nationally televised Friday Night Fights at Madison Square Garden.

Joey Archer

Archer made his debut as an MSG headliner on Feb. 4, 1961, and had 12 more fights at the iconic mid-Manhattan sock palace over the next six years. The final two were world title fights with defending middleweight champion Emile Griffith.

Archer etched his name in the history books in November of 1965 in Pittsburgh where he won a comfortable 10-round decision over Sugar Ray Robinson, sending the greatest fighter of all time into retirement. (At age 45, Robinson was then far past his peak.)

Born and raised in the Bronx, Joey Archer was a cutie; a clever counter-puncher recognized for his defense and ultimately for his granite chin. His style was embedded in his DNA and reinforced by his mentors.

Early in his career, Archer was domiciled in Houston where he was handled by veteran trainer Bill Gore who was then working with world lightweight champion Joe Brown. Gore would ride into the Hall of Fame on the coattails of his most famous fighter, “Will-o’-the Wisp” Willie Pep. If Joey Archer had any thoughts of becoming a banger, Bill Gore would have disabused him of that notion.

In all honesty, Archer’s style would have been box office poison if he had been black. It helped immensely that he was a native New Yorker of Irish stock, albeit the Irish angle didn’t have as much pull as it had several decades earlier. But that observation may not be fair to Archer who was bypassed twice for world title fights after upsetting Hurricane Carter and Dick Tiger.

When he finally caught up with Emile Griffith, the former hat maker wasn’t quite the fighter he had been a few years earlier but Griffith, a two-time Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the BWAA and a future first ballot Hall of Famer, was still a hard nut to crack.

Archer went 30 rounds with Griffith, losing two relatively tight decisions and then, although not quite 30 years old, called it quits. He finished 45-4 with 8 KOs and was reportedly never knocked down, yet alone stopped, while answering the bell for 365 rounds. In retirement, he ran two popular taverns with his older brother Jimmy Archer, a former boxer who was Joey’s trainer and manager late in Joey’s career.

May he rest in peace.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Bombs Away in Las Vegas where Inoue and Espinoza Scored Smashing Triumphs

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2025

David A. Avila

Bombs-Away-in-Las-Vegas-where-Inoue-and-Espinoza-Scored-Smashing-Triumphs

Japan’s Naoya “Monster” Inoue banged it out with Mexico’s Ramon Cardenas, survived an early knockdown and pounded out a stoppage win to retain the undisputed super bantamweight world championship on Sunday.

Japan and Mexico delivered for boxing fans again after American stars failed in back-to-back days.

“By watching tonight’s fight, everyone is well aware that I like to brawl,” Inoue said.

Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs), and Cardenas (26-2, 14 KOs) and his wicked left hook, showed the world and 8,474 fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas that prizefighting is about punching, not running.

After massive exposure for three days of fights that began in New York City, then moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and then to Nevada, it was the casino capital of the world that delivered what most boxing fans appreciate- pure unadulterated action fights.

Monster Inoue immediately went to work as soon as the opening bell rang with a consistent attack on Cardenas, who very few people knew anything about.

One thing promised by Cardenas’ trainer Joel Diaz was that his fighter “can crack.”

Cardenas proved his trainer’s words truthful when he caught Inoue after a short violent exchange with a short left hook and down went the Japanese champion on his back. The crowd was shocked to its toes.

“I was very surprised,” said Inoue about getting dropped. ““In the first round, I felt I had good distance. It got loose in the second round. From then on, I made sure to not take that punch again.”

Inoue had no trouble getting up, but he did have trouble avoiding some of Cardenas massive blows delivered with evil intentions. Though Inoue did not go down again, a look of total astonishment blanketed his face.

A real fight was happening.

Cardenas, who resembles actor Andy Garcia, was never overly aggressive but kept that left hook of his cocked and ready to launch whenever he saw the moment. There were many moments against the hyper-aggressive Inoue.

Both fighters pack power and both looked to find the right moment. But after Inoue was knocked down by the left hook counter, he discovered a way to eliminate that weapon from Cardenas. Still, the Texas-based fighter had a strong right too.

In the sixth round Inoue opened up with one of his lightning combinations responsible for 10 consecutive knockout wins. Cardenas backed against the ropes and Inoue blasted away with blow after blow. Then suddenly, Cardenas turned Inoue around and had him on the ropes as the Mexican fighter unloaded nasty combinations to the body and head. Fans roared their approval.

“I dreamed about fighting in front of thousands of people in Las Vegas,” said Cardenas. “So, I came to give everything.”

Inoue looked a little surprised and had a slight Mona Lisa grin across his face. In the seventh round, the Japanese four-division world champion seemed ready to attack again full force and launched into the round guns blazing. Cardenas tried to catch Inoue again with counter left hooks but Inoue’s combos rained like deadly hail. Four consecutive rights by Inoue blasted Cardenas almost through the ropes. The referee Tom Taylor ruled it a knockdown. Cardenas beat the count and survived the round.

In the eighth round Inoue looked eager to attack and at the bell launched across the ring and unloaded more blows on Cardenas. A barrage of 14 unanswered blows forced the referee to stop the fight at 45 seconds of round eight for a technical knockout win.

“I knew he was tough,” said Inoue. “Boxing is not that easy.”

Espinoza Wins

WBO featherweight titlist Rafael Espinosa (27-0, 23 KOs) uppercut his way to a knockout win over Edward Vazquez (17-3, 4 KOs) in the seventh round.

“I wanted to fight a game fighter to show what I am capable,” said Espinoza.

Espinosa used the leverage of his six-foot, one-inch height to slice uppercuts under the guard of Vazquez. And when the tall Mexican from Guadalajara targeted the body, it was then that the Texas fighter began to wilt. But he never surrendered.

Though he connected against Espinoza in every round, he was not able to slow down the taller fighter and that allowed the Mexican fighter to unleash a 10-punch barrage including four consecutive uppercuts. The referee stopped the fight at 1:47 of the seventh round.

It was Espinoza’s third title defense.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!