Donaire vs. Nishioka; power vs. quickness

By ESB - 10/02/2012 - Comments

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by Robert Jackson: Quickness is in the mind, speed is in the body. Quickness is that quantity where ones perceptions – in response to events going on around him/her, are analyzed by the mind in a very short time and a solution is come to very rapidly. Speed is rapid mechanical movement produced by the body. Examples of these would be a sprinter who’s quickness is in play upon hearing the starters gun to rapidly respond and leave the starting blocks, and whose speed motors him/her down the track to the finish line.

Power in mathematical terms is the force (strength) x velocity (speed), where either affects the absolute output. With more force and less speed the power that is produced will exhibit itself as a forceful PUSH. Increase the speed along with that force and the power produced will look like a punch with a lot of pop on it, the kind that produces knockouts. So, depending on the sport you’re engaging in the type of power you want is specific. For example an NFL offensive lineman will develop the force component of power to a very high level to forcefully push defensive linemen and linebackers out of his way to make a running lane for a following halfback. While a boxer will develop force to a optimum level while simultaneously developing speed to a optimum level to have the necessary pop on his punches to KO his opponent rather than just deliver a forceful push.

Nonito Donaire has risen thru to ranks of professional boxing quite literally moving from 112lbs to his current fighting weight of 122lbs. Throughout this rise Donaire has exhibited good punching power having a 60% KO rate out of 30 fights. A knockout is expected from Donaire when he comes to fight, but since moving up Donaire hasn’t had that KO for his last 3 fights – never having gone 3 fights without a KO for his career. This writer’s boxing coach from Chicago ‘Griff’ would tell us “you learn power” and this may indeed be the case for Donaire. Fighting bigger men requires more force to equalize the added weight which is itself force, so there probably is an adjustment time needed to learn punching power for the higher weight class. If this doesn’t affect Donaire’s speed the KO’s that most are expecting could happen soon or it could just turn out to be a forceful push.

Toshiaki Nishioka who’ll be facing Donaire in two weeks uses quickness as a primary weapon, responding very rapidly to the changing stimuli of a fight. Nishioka also has a 50% + knock out ratio over 47 fights. Also pertinent is the fact that Nishioka has fought at or around the 122lb weight class for most of his career. But it is Nishioka’s quickness which serves his success as a fighter, almost allowing him to know what his opponent is about to do before he even does it. Defensively, Nishioka is very hard to hit by even the quickest 122lbers and he counterpunches even better. Add to this Nishioka’s craftiness, and his southpaw stance which further compounds things for Donaire.

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Come October 13, 2012, Donaire will be in tough – expect a good competitive fight, one that may not favor Donaire winning.