Comparing Donaire and Pacquiao

By Al S. Mendoza

 

TOO bad that Nonito Donaire lost again.

I can’t help but moan, sigh.

Never thought Carl Frampton was that good.

As one British sportswriter wrote:  “Frampton was a beautiful mover all the way against Donaire.”

The fight lasted 12 rounds.

Seemingly, Donaire had but only one round won—clearly, that is.

It was the 11th round, when Donaire caught Frampton flush in the face.

But after Frampton got tagged and staggered a bit, he beautifully survived the blow—dancing away from disaster.

Donaire failed to unleash follow-up shots and Frampton cruised to an easy points victory.

Clearly, Donaire isn’t that sharp anymore.

In the past, when he saw even a slight opening, Donaire would dispose his foe in a flash.  Thus, his moniker, “The Filipino Flash.”

But is Donaire really not fit in the featherweight, as pundits say?

Thus, he should slide down to bantam again?

Maybe.  Only Donaire can answer that.

Now we go to Manny Pacquiao.

The fighting senator will tangle with Lucas Matthysse, the world welterweight champion from Argentina.

The fight, set for July 15 in Kuala Lumpur, will be Pacquiao’s first since he lost to Australian Jeff Horn in July last year.

That defeat in Brisbane, Australia, cost Pacquiao his welterweight crown—a major upset as Horn was a virtual unknown before the bout.

Like Donaire, Pacquiao also had one good round in that 12-round loss that scarred the Filipino icon’s otherwise lofty record.

It came in the ninth, when Pacquiao jarred Horn with a left to the jaw.

But like Donaire, too, Pacquiao failed to sustain his attack, paving the way for Horn to plod on and run away with a lopsided points victory.

Many are saying Matthysse can be an easy target as he keeps on attacking, a favorite style for the knockout-hungry Pacquiao.

The last time Pacquiao won by knockout was in 2009—against Miguel Cotto—when the referee halted the fight midway into the 12th after he took pity on the badly-battered, virtually defenseless Puerto Rican.

But that was nine years ago, when Pacquiao, at 30 years old, was at his strongest.

He is 39 now.  Not an age that befits a boxer being still endowed with a knockout punch.

And look at this:  Matthysse knocked out 36 of his 39 victims.

His style might be awkward but with his knockout record, Matthysse could be more dangerous than mediocre.

Since we can’t force Pacquiao to retire, now, let us at least pray for him to win—if not for his safety.

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