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Nonito Donaire and The Monster
The World Boxing Super Series 118lb tournament climaxes this Thursday in Saitama, Japan as the now fully-fledged wonderkid and local hero Naoya “The Monster” Inoue meets a man who essentially used to be him in the shape of ring veteran and Filipino legend Nonito Donaire. Whatever the outcome there will be tears in the far east come the final bell.
Donaire will recognize much of what awaits him in the opposite corner as he prepares for a monumental crescendo to a storied career. He will see an athletic, powerful, fast technician who can improvise across all styles and he will see some of what he himself used to be. Donaire was once the darling of the hardcore fan, a role Inoue has since embraced with relish. Small but devastating, these men toil in relative obscurity until something pushes them over the top and into the consciousness of the wider boxing public.
For Donaire it took an incredible championship tear-up running from flyweight all the way up to super-bantamweight beginning with that astonishing five round purge of Vic Darchinyan in 2007, arguably both the knockout and the upset of the year.
Donaire has seen ten miles of bad road since then. In 2013 while rated amongst the very best fighters in the world pound-for-pound he ran into an 11-0 contender named Guillermo Rigondeaux and was cleanly out-boxed over twelve. “Rigo” was a technical genius of the Cuban school and although he would go on to display none of the heart and soul that Donaire did in capturing the imaginations of a generation of boxing fans he was so clearly Donaire’s superior that no re-match was seriously touted. The high regard in which Donaire was held also meant that the Filipino was far from finished at the highest level, however; but this could no longer be held as the truth after he was out-pointed and out-fought even more completely by Nicholas Walters, a fine fighter but one that impressed far less than Rigondeaux. Donaire was cast down from the mountain.
Name recognition, the maddening intangible so sought after by marketing professionals, intercedes with boxing in a strange way. Fighters who otherwise might not be thought of are thrown opportunities that would otherwise be beyond their sporting abilities. Donaire never really went away and when he charmed the Irish and British in his gut-fueled 2018 stab at former pound-for-pounder Carl Frampton, Donaire found himself inside a new market, hailed for the first time by the Europeans. It seemed almost reasonable that Donaire, behind this brave and characterful loss, found himself recruited to the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament, though in truth little was expected of him.
When he drew number one seed Ryan Burnett, less still was expected of him but Donaire was firmly in the fight when Burnett slipped a disc and retired from the fight at the end of the fourth. The sentimental regard in which Donaire was held was made clear when what was essentially a bye was met with few complaints. Even when the true second favorite for tournament victory, Zolani Tete withdrew with his own injury troubles and Donaire was matched with substitute Stephon Young in the semi-final, little criticism was heard. The overwhelming attitude was one of curiosity and the former champion did not disappoint.
To be clear, Donaire did not “turn back the clock” against Young. That is possible, perhaps, as demonstrated by the likes of Bernard Hopkins, Joe Brown and Archie Moore, but that is not what happened here. Rather, Donaire showed glimmers of the fighter he once was in dispatching a limited opponent, as was expected of a seasoned veteran of no small matter. But the slashing left-hook that delivered victory and deposited Young in the strange netherworld known only by combat sportspeople and victims of automobile accidents reminded one of the fighter he used to be; for a thrilling moment it was 2009 again. As Donaire knelt beside his stricken opponent in apparent prayer, gently nudging his thigh with one gloved hand, the realization sunk in that Donaire was set to contest the final with the deadly Naoya Inoue.
It would be nice here to offer a detailed breakdown of Inoue’s wonderful skillset and to trace its evolution over recent years but sadly that isn’t possible; no opponent has extended the Japanese past the second round since 2017. He is a wrecking ball of a bantamweight and a fighter who will be keen to remind boxing fans that he, like Canelo Alvarez, has taken straps and scalps in three different weight divisions but that, unlike Alvarez, he has reigned as the best fighter in each of the divisions he has graced.
Inoue has had none of the luck that Donaire has enjoyed in the course of this tournament, but he has gone un-extended regardless. After obliterating Jamie McDonnell in a single round to grab a strap in his bantamweight debut, Inoue drew top bantamweight Juan Payano in the quarter final. Once more a first-round knockout was the result. Against McDonnell he had ended matters with an old-fashioned fuselage of shots forcing the referee’s intervention, but against Payano Inoue favored accuracy and economy, landing a laser-guided one-two straight out of the Tommy Hearns manual on how to destroy ranked opposition. It was a perfect combination thrown at a moving target who had, up until then, never been stopped.
The semi-final against Emmanuel Rodriguez was almost as perfunctory. The right-hand to the body/left-hook to the head for the first knockdown was Tysonesque and as beautiful as any two-piece I’ve seen delivered in a boxing ring; the wide left-right to the body to end matters landed within seconds of the restart, runs it close though.
Inoue does not have a style but a skillset. He does what he likes. Perhaps the ultimate realization of the marriage of boxing technique and modern sports science, he is a machine capable of rendering destruction to a degree unseen anywhere in boxing currently. Perhaps not the artist that Vasily Lomachenko is, perhaps not the one-shot brawler that Deontay Wilder is, he combines much of what is good about both and lets it roll. He will take some beating. It may be that only an opponent of excess poundage or the admirable Japanese propensity for early retirement will get it done.
This, then, is the reward Donaire receives at the end – for it will be the end win or lose – of eighteen years at the sharp end of the toughest of sports. Twelve years after he vanquished Darchinyan, nine after his destruction of Hernan Marquez, seven after he gunned down Fernando Montiel, Donaire steps into the ring with the best fighter he has ever faced.
It is the kind of opportunity faded pugilists lie in bed at night and dream of. Since the fight was made, it is possible that those dreams have taken on a darker tinge. It’s not that Donaire can’t win; anyone who has followed boxing long enough knows those are foolish words. Rather it is that if he did win it would be the biggest shock of this decade and would rank among the most impressive comebacks in ring history.
Watching one of your old favorites put himself in legitimate peril for one more shot at glory is an uncomfortable trope for the boxing fan. Once upon a time he was the danger himself, but no longer is he “the man who knocks.” Rather, he is a fragile version of a fighter who likely even in his prime would have been an underdog against a boxer as special as Inoue. Whether or not you consider this unmissable may depend upon your age and your outlook. If you’re young enough not to remember Donaire’s scintillating prime, you probably feel compelled to track down and watch Inoue, a fighter already anointed great and in the prime of his career. If you are an optimist you may expect to see the old man trouble the relatively inexperienced Japanese, perhaps even witness what seems the impossible.
Or maybe, like me, you’ll be watching between your fingers as eras collide and fighting machines from different generations swing past one-another in a dance as old as the sport itself: the former master facing off against the current embodiment of his own self.
To catch it you’ll have to be up early if you’re reading this in North America or enjoy some glorious mid-morning championship action if you’re reading in Europe.
Inoue will win; I hope Donaire steps off the canvas for what should be the final time with his dignity and health intact.
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Adrien Broner returns to the ring tomorrow (Friday, June 9) after a 27-month absence. He meets Bill Hutchinson at Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida, in a fight slated for “10.” It’s a Don King promotion for sale at $24.99 on FITE TV and several other pay-per-view platforms.
Hutchinson – his friends call him Hutch — is a practicing attorney with offices in his native Pittsburgh and in Naples, Florida. Reading about him reminded me of Leach Cross. A very good lightweight during the early years of the twentieth-century, Cross was a dentist. His disparate occupations, as one would imagine, gave rise to many jokes. It was said of Leach that he drummed up business for his dental practice by rearranging the bridgework of his opponents. He could knock out a man’s tooth and replace it with a facsimile the next morning.
Adrien Broner, aptly nicknamed “The Problem,” is frequently in need of a good attorney. The same goes for Don King, a litigious sort who has sued and been sued many times. Even if Hutchinson never fights again, it wouldn’t be surprising if he crosses paths with Broner and/or King at some point again down the road. The principals made light of this in Tuesday’s press conference. “Dealing with lawyers is Broner’s forte,” wisecracked Don King. “After I mess you up, I’m going to hire you,” said Broner, looking sternly at Hutchinson.
On his web site, Hutchinson comes across as less of an attorney than a man who makes his living as a motivational speaker. “Currently,” it reads, “Hutch is a partner and leader in multiple businesses across divergent market categories. These businesses range from the automobile industry to event promotions, high end construction to hospitality, real estate to medical marijuana, and biologics/pharmaceuticals…Hutch has earned a reputation in each industry as an innovative problem solver who discovers new opportunities for growth.”
Okay, but can he fight?
Hutchinson’s current record (20-2-4, 9 KOs) is decent, but only nine of his 20 wins have come against opponents with winning records. None of his previous fights were slated for more than eight rounds.
There are levels to this sport as Mike Lee can ruefully attest. A finance major at Notre Dame, Lee was a successful businessman with a 21-0 record (against limited opposition) when he wangled a match with IBF super-middleweight title-holder Caleb Plant. That bout turned ugly in a hurry. Plant put him on the deck in the opening round and scored three more knockdowns before the butchery was halted at the midway point of the third round.
The guess is that Broner-Hutchinson won’t be quite as lopsided. Owing to legal problems, management issues, personal problems, and training injuries incurred by would-be opponents, Adrien Broner has been relatively inactive, missing all of 2020 and 2022. He’s 1-2-1 in his last four fights going back to July of 2017 with the lone triumph coming against unheralded Jovanie Santiago who took the fight on short notice. Broner won a 12-round unanimous decision, but was actually out-landed. His post-fight interview was more exciting than the fight, said CBS reporter Brian Campbell.
In truth, Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) hasn’t been the same fighter since his bout with Marcos Maidana in December of 2013. Broner was still standing at the final bell, but Maidana roughed him up en route to winning a lopsided decision. Entering that contest, Broner was 27-0 and had never been knocked down. After that bout, he became far less willing to initiate contact, relying more on his sublime defensive skills.
Broner vs. Maidana drew a reported 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, an impressive figure. Broner vs. Hutchinson won’t come anywhere close to matching those numbers (75,000 may be a stretch) and no matter his showing, Broner won’t repair his tattered image. A prizefighter cannot regain what he has lost against the Bill Hutchinson’s of the world.
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SHOWTIME’s ‘Sho Box; The New Generation’ series, now in its twenty-first season, returns to Central New York on Friday, June 9. The venue is the Turning Stone Casino and Resort in the town of Verona, one freeway exit removed from Canastota, home to the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum which is holding its annual shebang this weekend, a four-day jamboree culminating in Sunday’s Canastota parade and IBHOF Induction Ceremony.
The TV portion of Friday’s card kicks off with an 8-rounder between Clay Waterman (pictured) and Kenmon Evans. It’s the U.S. debut for Waterman (10-0, 8 KOs), a Queenslander from Down Under with a strong amateur background and an interesting ethnic pedigree: Maori, indigenous Australian, and European. (He is one of two fighters of Maori descent in action this weekend; Cherneka Johnson defends her IBF super bantamweight title against Ellie Scotney in London on Saturday.)
Waterman’s opponent Kenmon Evans (10-0-1, 3 KOs), is seeking his eighth straight victory. A 31-year-old Floridian, Evans is promoted by 2020 IBHOF inductee Christy Martin.
Main Event
The featured bout is an intriguing 10-round contest between Ali Izmailov (10-0, 7 KOs) and Charles Foster (22-0, 12 KOs).
A 30-year-old Russian, Izmailov, ranked #11 by the WBO, is part of promoter Dmitry Salita’s Motor City contingent, but has been training for this fight in Florida under the tutelage of John David Jackson. Foster, a 33-year-old southpaw from New Haven, Connecticut, appeared at Turning Stone last year, scoring a third-round stoppage of Bo Gibbs.
Co-Feature
This looks like another well-matched affair. And once again, as Michael Buffer would have said, someone’s “0” has got to go.
Richard Vansiclen (13-0-1, 6 KOs) was held to a draw in his last fight with Mexico’s Manuel Gallegos. It was a fan-friendly affair and those that saw the fight on FITE TV will likely tune in for this one.
A 29-year-old Seattle-based southpaw, Vansiclen did not have a conventional amateur background. A good all-around athlete in high school, he took up boxing after joining the club team at the University of Washington where he earned a degree in communications. Vansiclen’s opponent, Juan Carrillo (10-0, 8 KOs), represented Colombia in the 2016 Rio Olympics. It’s slated for “10.”
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The Sweet Science Rankings: Week of June 5th, 2023
For the first time there are no changes in this week’s TSS Rankings. Two fighters ranked #1 in their weight class are in action this Saturday. Sunny Edwards, the top dog at 112 pounds, defends his belt against Chile’s Andres Campos at Wembley Arena in London. In a match with far more intrigue, Josh Taylor, the topmost fighter at 140, meets Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden.
Pound-for-Pound
01 – Naoya Inoue
02 – Oleksandr Usyk
03 – Juan Francisco Estrada
04 – Dmitry Bivol
05 – Terence Crawford
06 – Errol Spence Jnr.
07 – Tyson Fury
08 – Saul Alvarez
09 – Artur Beterbiev
10 – Shakur Stevenson
105lbs
1 Knockout CP Freshmart (Thailand)
2 Petchmanee CP Freshmart (Thailand)
3 Oscar Collazo (USA)*
4 Ginjiro Shigeoka (Japan)
5 Wanheng Menayothin (Thailand)
6 Daniel Valladares (Mexico)
7 Yudai Shigeoka (Japan)
8 Melvin Jerusalem (Philippines)
9 Masataka Taniguchi (Japan)
10 Rene Mark Cuarto (Philippines)
108lbs
1 Kenshiro Teraji (Japan)
2 Jonathan Gonzalez (Puerto Rico)
3 Masamichi Yabuki (Japan)
4 Hekkie Budler (South Africa)
5 Sivenathi Nontshinga (South Africa)
6 Elwin Soto (Mexico)
7 Daniel Matellon (Cuba)
8 Reggie Suganob (Philippines)
9 Shokichi Iwata (Japan)
10 Esteban Bermudez (Mexico)
112lbs
1 Sunny Edwards (England)
2 Artem Dalakian (Ukraine)
3 Julio Cesar Martinez (Mexico)
4 Angel Ayala Lardizabal (Mexico)
5 David Jimenez (Costa Rica)
6 Jesse Rodriguez (USA)
7 Ricardo Sandoval (USA)
8 Felix Alvarado (Nicaragua)
9 Seigo Yuri Akui (Japan)
10 Cristofer Rosales (Nicaragua)
115lbs
1 Juan Francisco Estrada (Mexico)
2 Roman Gonzalez (Nicaragua)
3 Jesse Rodriguez (USA)
4 Kazuto Ioka (Japan)
5 Joshua Franco (USA)
6 Junto Nakatani (Japan)
7 Fernando Martinez (Argentina)
8 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (Thailand)
9 Kosei Tanaka (Japan)
10 Andrew Moloney (Australia)
118lbs
1 Emmanuel Rodriguez (Puerto Rico)
2 Jason Moloney (Australia)
3 Nonito Donaire (Philippines)
4 Vincent Astrolabio (Philippines)
5 Gary Antonio Russell (USA)
6 Takuma Inoue (Japan)
7 Alexandro Santiago (Mexico)
8 Ryosuke Nishida (Japan)
9 Keita Kurihara (Japan)
10 Paul Butler (England)
122lbs
1 Stephen Fulton (USA)
2 Marlon Tapales (Philippines)
3 Luis Nery (Mexico)
4 Murodjon Akhmadaliev (Uzbekistan)
5 Ra’eese Aleem (USA)
6 Azat Hovhannisyan (Armenia)
7 Kevin Gonzalez (Mexico)
8 Takuma Inoue (Japan)
9 John Riel Casimero (Philippines)
10 Fillipus Nghitumbwa (Namibia)
126lbs
1 Luis Alberto Lopez (Mexico)
2 Leigh Wood (England)
3 Brandon Figueroa (USA)
4 Rey Vargas (Mexico)
5 Mauricio Lara (Mexico)
6 Mark Magsayo (Philippines)
7 Josh Warrington (England)
8 Robeisy Ramirez (Cuba)
9 Reiya Abe (Japan)
10 Otabek Kholmatov (Uzbekistan)
130lbs
1 Joe Cordina (Wales)
2 Oscar Valdez (Mexico)
3 Hector Garcia (Dominican Republic)
4 O’Shaquie Foster (USA)
5 Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (Tajikistan)
6 Roger Gutierrez (Venezuela)
7 Lamont Roach (USA)
8 Eduardo Ramirez (Mexico)
9 Kenichi Ogawa (Japan)
10 Robson Conceicao (Brazil)
135lbs
1 Devin Haney (USA)
2 Gervonta Davis (USA)
3 Vasily Lomachenko (Ukraine)
4 Isaac Cruz (Mexico)
5 William Zepeda Segura (Mexico)
6 Frank Martin (USA)
7 George Kambosos Jnr (Australia)
8 Shakur Stevenson (USA)
9 Raymond Muratalla (USA)
10 Keyshawn Davis (USA)
140lbs
1 Josh Taylor (Scotland)
2 Regis Prograis (USA)
3 Jose Ramirez (USA)
4 Jose Zepeda (USA)
5 Jack Catterall (England)
6 Subriel Matias (Puerto Rico)
7 Arnold Barboza Jr. (USA)
8 Gary Antuanne Russell (USA)
9 Zhankosh Turarov (Kazakhstan)
10 Shohjahon Ergashev (Uzbekistan)
147lbs
1 Errol Spence (USA)
2 Terence Crawford (USA)
3 Yordenis Ugas (Cuba)
4 Vergil Ortiz Jr. (USA)
5 Jaron Ennis (USA)
6 Eimantas Stanionis (Lithuania)
7 David Avanesyan (Russia)
8 Cody Crowley (Canada)
9 Roiman Villa (Columbia)
10 Alexis Rocha (USA)
154lbs
1 Jermell Charlo (USA)
2 Tim Tszyu (Australia)
3 Brian Castano (Argentina)
4 Brian Mendoza (USA)
5 Liam Smith (England)
6 Jesus Alejandro Ramos (USA)
7 Sebastian Fundora (USA)
8 Michel Soro (Ivory Coast)
9 Erickson Lubin (USA)
10 Magomed Kurbanov (Russia)
160lbs
1 Gennady Golovkin (Kazakhstan)
2 Jaime Munguia (Mexico)
3 Carlos Adames (Dominican Republic)
4 Janibek Alimkhanuly (Kazakhstan)
5 Liam Smith (England)
6 Erislandy Lara (USA)
7 Sergiy Derevyanchenko (Ukraine)
8 Felix Cash (England)
9 Esquiva Falcao (Brazil)
10 Chris Eubank Jnr. (Poland)
168lbs
1 Canelo Alvarez (Mexico)
2 David Benavidez (USA)
3 Caleb Plant (USA)
4 Christian Mbilli (France)
5 David Morrell (Cuba)
6 John Ryder (England)
7 Pavel Silyagin (Russia)
8 Vladimir Shishkin (Russia)
9 Carlos Gongora (Ecuador)
10 Demetrius Andrade (USA)
175lbs
1 Dmitry Bivol (Russia)
2 Artur Beterbiev (Canada)
3 Joshua Buatsi (England)
4 Callum Smith (England)
5 Joe Smith Jr. (USA)
6 Gilberto Ramirez (Mexico)
7 Anthony Yarde (England)
8 Dan Azeez (England)
9 Craig Richards (England)
10 Michael Eifert (Germany)
200lbs
1 Jai Opetaia (Australia)
2 Mairis Breidis (Latvia)
3 Chris Billam-Smith (England)
4 Richard Riakporhe (England)
5 Aleksei Papin (Russia)
6 Badou Jack (Sweden)
7 Arsen Goulamirian (France)
8 Lawrence Okolie (England)
9 Yuniel Dorticos (Cuba)
10 Mateusz Masternak (Poland)
Unlimited
1 Tyson Fury (England)
2 Oleksandr Usyk (Ukraine)
3 Zhilei Zhang (China)
4 Deontay Wilder (USA)
5 Anthony Joshua (England)
6 Andy Ruiz (USA)
7 Filip Hrgovic (Croatia)
8 Joe Joyce (England)
9 Dillian Whyte (England)
10 Frank Sanchez (Cuba)
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The Haney-Lomachenko Tempest Smacks of Hagler-Leonard; Dave Moretti Factored in Both
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Romero Controversially TKOs Barroso; Sims Nips Akhmedov in a Barnburner
Devin Haney Stays Unbeaten; More Controversy in a Las Vegas Ring
Nine TSS Writers Analyze the Haney-Lomachenko Fight
‘How To Box’ by Joe Louis: Part 6 of a 6-Part Series – Putting It All Together
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The Follies of Gervonta Davis: They Gave Him the Key to the City and Now He’s in the Slammer
Avila Perspective, Chap. 239: Fernando Vargas Jr. at the Pechanga Casino and More
Alimkhanuly Destroys Butler and Jason Moloney Outpoints Astrolabio in Stockton
Ralph Boston and Muhammad Ali
‘How To Box’ by Joe Louis: Part 4 – Bodywork and the Uppercut
Claressa Shields Defeats Maricela Cornejo in Detroit
Avila Perspective, Chap. 236: Jaime Munguia and More
Super Lightweights Take Center Stage at the Cosmo on Saturday
Adelaida Ruiz and Fernando Vargas Jr Score KO Wins at Pechanga
Action Galore in the U.K. on Saturday — Title Fights at Three Separate Venues
Adrien Broner Returns to the Ring with an Attorney in the Opposite Corner
Light Heavyweights on Display as ‘Sho Box’ Returns to Turning Stone
The Sweet Science Rankings: Week of June 5th, 2023
The Follies of Gervonta Davis: They Gave Him the Key to the City and Now He’s in the Slammer
Claressa Shields Defeats Maricela Cornejo in Detroit
Adelaida Ruiz and Fernando Vargas Jr Score KO Wins at Pechanga
Reviews of Two Atypical Boxing Books: A ‘Thumbs Up’ and a ‘Thumbs Down’
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Devin Haney Stays Unbeaten; More Controversy in a Las Vegas Ring
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Featured Articles2 weeks agoThe Haney-Lomachenko Tempest Smacks of Hagler-Leonard; Dave Moretti Factored in Both
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Featured Articles3 weeks agoAvila Perspective, Chap. 237: Battles for Undisputed Status in Dublin and Las Vegas
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Featured Articles2 weeks agoU.K. Boxing Montage: Conlan KOed; Wood Regains Title; Billam-Smith Upsets Okolie
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Featured Articles4 weeks agoRomero Controversially TKOs Barroso; Sims Nips Akhmedov in a Barnburner
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Featured Articles3 weeks agoDevin Haney Stays Unbeaten; More Controversy in a Las Vegas Ring
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Featured Articles3 weeks agoNine TSS Writers Analyze the Haney-Lomachenko Fight
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Featured Articles2 weeks ago‘How To Box’ by Joe Louis: Part 6 of a 6-Part Series – Putting It All Together
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Featured Articles1 day agoLight Heavyweights on Display as ‘Sho Box’ Returns to Turning Stone