By Nick Bellafatto
In what many perceive as a clash of little titans, pound-for-pound prizefighter and WBO junior featherweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (31-1, 20 KO’s), now a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, would after a few hitches finally consummate a deal to contest with highly touted Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KO’s) of Miami, Florida.
Rigondeaux, a two-time Cuban Olympic Gold Medalist as well as current WBA title holder, will attempt to dethrone Donaire in a much anticipated unification match to be held this Saturday night at the famed Radio City Music Hall in New York City. This will be only the second boxing event ever to be held at this particular venue during its 82 year history.
And when the bell rings for the HBO televised event, the skill level demonstrated is likely to at times be off the charts, a riveting circumstance that will have fight fans clinging to each and every nuance evoked by the principals.
By fights end however, barring a draw or no-contest, only one of these men will emerge triumphant, so that to the victor will go the spoils. All told, what’s at stake here is nothing less than securing a rather large piece of the puzzle at 122 pounds, with the winner certain to be regarded as the division’s best.
With that said, if I were a betting man I would throw my hat in the direction of Nonito Donaire, with whom momentum seems to reside. He’s simply been on an epic roll since knocking out Vic Darchinyan in 2007 to capture his first major world title.
Riding a wave of ever increasing confidence from that juncture forward, the “Filipino Flash” talent wise has blossomed, visibly developing to the point that he seems to have at his disposal most if not all of the tools that may one day see him considered amongst the greatest little men of all time. With a victory on Saturday night he will no doubt move closer to solidifying such a notion.
In his last six bouts alone which have spanned two separate divisions, Donaire has gathered up four major and one minor title, for the most part against top tier competition which would earn him 2012 “Fighter of the Year” honors. So a question concerning Nonito is, will he still be on that roll after contending with the likes of an opponent whom many regard as superior to him?
Speaking of opponents, “El Chacal” Rigondeaux ranked second in the division, is widely considered to be one of thee best amateur fighters in history, not to mention a serious threat to interrupt the Filipino’s title reign. And although demonstrating immense talent, the Cuban comes with a knock or two. Primarily he’s been inconsistent in his few professional appearances, appearances devoid of marquee opponents.
In evidence of this, Rigondeaux in a lackluster showing would contend with little known Ricardo Cordoba, an outing in which Guillermo would touch the canvass for the first time. And despite capturing a major world title two bouts later, that title came at the expense of a totally tentative Rico Ramos who would basically fold in the presence of “El Chacal in what amounted to a forfeiture of his WBA belt. This would leave much to be desired of the Cuban.
Subsequent to inheriting the WBA strap, Guillermo in his first title defense would emerge victorious, though it would once more involve contesting an unheralded opponent in Teon Kennedy. On the heels of said defense, and this is where things get interesting, “El Chacal” would get exposed at the hands of the still unproven Roberto Marroquin.
Visibly suffering on more than one occasion from the effects of a left hook delivered by Marroquin, Rigondeaux, although able to handle business en-route to maintaining his WBA hardware a second time, would prove vulnerable yet again.
This predicament doesn’t bode well for the Cuban in that Donaire’s major weapon of choice usually comes in the form of a lethal left hook if not a left uppercut. And in the minds of many observers this lends itself to the thought of the Filipino fighter landing something quite similar, although with fight finishing force so that in this respect Nonito should perhaps be considered the frontrunner.
It’s all to play out this Saturday night on HBO Championship Boxing beginning at 11pm ET/PT as Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire looks to continue his 12-year, 30-bout winning streak while Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux will attempt to land himself amongst the pound-for-pound rankings at the expense of his upcoming foe.
