Bolo H. (San Francisco): I’ve been a Donaire fan for many years and always felt that he would be one of the best. I know that you like fundamental skills and although he doesn’t have the resume, if you consider fundamentals, would you place him beside Pacquiao as the best P4P fighter in the sport, or at least a top 3 P4P fighter using your criteria?
Vivek W. (ESB): For starters, I think perhaps I should clarify what my criteria on the mythical P4P designation really is. I’ve always talked about pure textbook fundamental skills, but never in a way to say that it does or should single-handily outweigh other important attributes such as resume, heart, ring generalship, etc. I think more often than not, people tend to leave out the importance of pure textbook fundamental skills, so I speak up for the attribute because I do think it is the best ‘eraser’ when it comes to nullifying those other attributes.
Case in point, Kelly Pavlik. He looked great knocking out men who had very little defense, but the day he faced a ‘total package’, his career has never been the same! In the case of Donaire, I’ve always raved about his skill level and found him to be easily one of the most fundamentally sound fighters out there, but last Saturday’s victory in no way shape or form (in my humble opinion) makes him a top 3 P4P candidate, and that’s coming from a HUGE fan of his. I think this victory is what I have termed in the past, the ‘swingin pendulum’ of the media, which often shifts to a new fighter every time he does something that pleases the crowd on a grand scale..
I am as big a Donaire fan as you can find, but there are a few men I think who easily rate to be ahead of him at this stage: Manny Pacquiao’s resume, heart, ring generalship, and wide assortment of attributes make him an easy lock for #1, particularly in this inactive period for Floyd Mayweather jr. Next, I have a #2 man that I haven’t heard ONE PERSON in the media include in their list, which tells me it’s more about image than talent (in the minds of most). That man is 46y/o Bernard Hopkins, who didn’t win his last fight, but showed us every element you want in a champ, and he did it against a man in his prime who’s also a champion.
Not a crowd pleasing style, but he’s just as close to being a total package, and the man people are suddenly placing before him (Donaire) was 6 years old when Hopkins’ journey began, yet Hopkins is still at the top of his game and on the verge of breaking history. You must recognize the greatness behind such longevity. The man I’d put at #3 is another veteran who people tend to forget because he was made to look rather ordinary by arguably the most talented fighter in this era, in Floyd Mayweather jr.. That person is Juan Manuel Marquez. Great skills, proven resume, and if you want to know how great Marquez is, consider this:
Pacquiao is the measuring stick in the sport, yet in the words of his own advisor, Michael Koncz, “Marquez has Manny figured out, and if they fought 20 times, every one of those fights will be a controversy of who actually won those fights”. Beyond these 3 men, it’s a toss up. Aside from the fundamentally polished Andre Ward, there’s very little to separate the others, with the exception of punching power. Bradley isn’t as polished or powerful, but has a huge victory on enemy territory across the pond and has as much will and heart as anyone else in the talent pool, plus he’s undefeated.
Then you have Martinez, whom, aside from a questionable loss (Williams) and a questionable draw (Cintron), has not dropped a bout since the year 2000. So, it’s hard to deny men who have done it on this level for that long. To answer your question, is Donaire a top 3 guy, yet? Right at the doorstep, but not yet in my opinion, and I’m a huge fan (of Donaire).
Marv N. (Richmond, VA): I’m sure you’ve heard the war of words between Bob Arum and Lou DiBella lately. What are your thoughts on Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto facing off in April, and which of the two promoters do you support?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think when you really analyze this matter and see things for what they’re worth, you can find reasons to support the words of both promoters here. From Arum’s position, it seems that Berto is taking another fight against someone who isn’t proven and technically hasn’t really done anything worth raving about. Yes, Ortiz has a lot of hype associated with his name, but the resume simply lacks the ‘punch’ many view his fist to have. When you see it this way, I think Arum has a good point.
When you look at DiBella’s position, I think things take on a different, yet respectable logic as well. DiBella’s position is that it may not be the name fight fans want to hear, but it’s the one the network will support, and this reality is one few don’t seem to consider, yet have to respect for the simple fact that it will often be the end-all-be-all. This same scenario was strong enough to prevent Chad Dawson from facing Jean Pascal, despite having a guaranteed rematch contract in hand. The politics of the sport remain an over-ruling authority, and this case is no different.
When you get down to the two men who will be center stage, I think this fight is more realistic than many realize, and truth be told, one of the two tip the scale (literally and figuratively) more than many seem to know. Berto currently fights at 147, while Ortiz has made a living at 140, but one of the potential reasons Ortiz has looked less than stellar at the jr. welterweight level is because he walks around closer to 165lbs between fights, and regularly enters the ring on fight night in the mid-150’s, which happens to be bigger than Berto as a norm.
From that standpoint, the fight evens up considerably. We saw Miguel Cotto greatly benefit by going up in weight and increasing his energy level. For Ortiz, this isn’t only a fight that the network supports, it’s also a career move that could pay dividends down the road, and it’s coming against a man who like himself, needs a notable name on the resume. At the end of the day, it’s not a fight that too many are excited about, but it contains two men who have underlying potential to give it fireworks. Bradley/Alexander was said to be a great fight in the making, and we saw how that turned out. Unfortunately, you don’t know what you’re gonna get often times in the sport until it happens, so rather than judging at first glance, lets simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the show…..because you simply never know!
Eric C. (Dallas, TX): How far up in weight do you see Nonito Donaire going, and what do you see for the future of his respective career?
Vivek W. (ESB): Physically, Donaire is a guy who seems to have the pop to travel north in weight, and if he wants to find greater success from a marketing standpoint, history tells us that he’ll have to travel north in weight. At this same stage of his career, Pacquiao was fighting at 130lbs, and physically, Donaire has an inch greater reach, yet is half an inch shorter. Pacquiao moved north because that’s where the money was. For Donaire, a painful reality of the sport is that few fighters below the jr. jr. welterweight division have truly found strong marketing support.
Ivan Calderon of Puerto Rico has been one of the best fundamental fighters in the sport for years, but he’s also a reminder that a ‘little’ stature can unfortunately result in little promotional reward. For Donaire, he has the star power, the skills, and the marketability, but unless he can break ground and overturn this reality, he’ll also be one of the great talents that never quite breaks the mainstream. Showtime’s Bantamweight tournament has helped, but ratings prove that sometimes it isn’t about the action….it’s also about the perception, and until the sport markets itself a little better, the painful reality is that the smaller guys will get the smaller fraction of attention.
Relative to how far I see him going in his career goes, I think if he remains consistent and keeps a good team around him, things can really take off for him. When I see Donaire, I see a kid who’s not only the best fundamental Filipino fighter today, but also someone who could grow into one of the best fighters on the entire fight landscape today. The kid has a great upside and I think if he remains committed, he’ll go far. In a few years, perhaps we’ll see him go up in weight and challenge some of the names being tossed into the hat, but for now, unification of a division or two solidifies his worth, and gives him a classification which only the great ones have enjoyed.
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEKWALLACE747), Skype (VITO-BOXING), & Facebook).