By Vitali Shaposhnikov: Nonito Donaire’s (27-1-0) stock has been on a very sharp and aggressive rise ever since his demolition of Vic Darchinyan (37-4-1) in 2007. Then, after many great performances, Donaire was able to claim yet another tremendous and unquestionably memorable knockout victory by sending Fernando Montiel (46-4-2) to the canvas in February of 2011.
Donaire, if able to keep his winning streak going, will not only become a superstar and pound-for-pound top boxer, but may with time take Manny Pacquiao’s spot as the best athlete the Philippines ever produced.
His challenger Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. (21-1-1) is also a promising boxer with a very high knockout rate. His only loss came from Jorge Arce (59-6-2) in 2011, the very same fighter that Bob Arum has in sight for Donaire as his next opponent: “If Nonito wins the fight, then his next fight will be against Arce,” said Arum. (http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/171351-arum-has-big-plans-for-the-fast-rising-donaire).
Many people expect this to be an all-out war, and it may very well turn out to be just that. Having said that, I really don’t expect Donaire to struggle in this fight. He is way too quick and careful for Vasquez Jr. As a matter of fact, I would not be surprised if Donaire ends the bout before the mid rounds come around.
What I am more interested in, is where Top Rank will take Donaire from here. I think that a re-match against Montiel would be well accepted. While Donaire won their fight convincingly, a little more was expected from Montiel. It’s as if he never warmed up and showed his normal self.
A fight against Arce looks good on paper, but I really don’t see Arce as a good challenger for Donaire. Arce has a heart of a true warrior, but he is also a simple brawler, receiving as much as he dishes out. With Donaire’s footwork and ability to pick shorts, Arce will be peppered with shots for twelve straight rounds.