Nonito honors President Cory

As expected, Nonito Donaire, former IBF flyweight titlist, won the vacant WBA interim superflyweight title by hacking out a unanimous decision over the deliberately overweight Rafael Concepcion of Panama at the Hard Rock Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada last Saturday (Sunday in Manila). Had Concepcion won, the title would have been declared vacant.

A knockout victory for Donaire was predicted for the simple reason that, as writer Daniel Acevedo put it, in fighting Donaire, Concepcion is “going from the basement and into the penthouse Saturday night and has no idea how to tie a Windsor knot.”

To be sure, Acevedo was grossly underestimating the talent of Concepcion who has a “potent left hook and works the body in the clinches with something like a religious fervor”. After all, the Panamanian scored an upset victory over AJ Banal in Cebu in 2008. Charging furiously and determinedly throughout the fight, the brawling Panamanian finally wore down the more talented Banal. Banal could not stave off Concepcion’s mauling tactics.

Concepion, 27, and now with a record of 13-4-4, 8 KOs, also put up a good stand against the tough Jorge Arce last September. Arce has been mentioned as one of Donaire’s next opponents this December.

What was totally unexpected however was the use by Concepcion of tactics which Nonito Donaire’s wife Rachel, called unprofessional and indicative of “lack of integrity.” Rachel scored Concepcion for deliberately weighing in four pounds over the weight limit with the intent of just scoring a win over Donaire, thus treating both the WBA title and the boxing sport with contempt.

Clearly, Concepcion did not mind paying the $13,000 fight and was not really interested in winning the title by default for as long as he beats Donaire inside the ring, “I don’t mind the penalty fee I have to pay. This money doesn’t worry me. I just want to beat Donaire.”

Rachel, a former USA national collegiate and military taekwondo champion, claimed that the Nevada Commission gave Concepcion two hours “to lose weight if he can”, but all that the Panamanian did was “sit in his room and say he tried”.

Rachel, an American born Tarlaqueña, has a point in accusing Concepcion of unprofessional and unethical conduct. What got Concepcion deeper into the mud were his asinine and hypocritical post-fight remarks that “I was expecting a fight from a real Filipino fighter, not a runner. He (Donaire) didn’t want to fight. He wanted to run….I knew he was a great fighter, a great technician. If he would have had a warrior’s heart, we would have exchanged more.”

Ordinarily, such remarks make sense. Coming however from someone who had no intentions of making the weight limit and in fact weighed 134 pounds (one pound shy of being a full-blown lightweight or 19 pounds above the super bantamweight limit, at the opening bell, such pronouncements ought just to be dismissed as noise coming from a delusional sore loser who tried every trick but still fell woefully short.

If Donaire did run away from him, how come Donaire opened a gash under Concepcion’s left eye with a stiff jab? How come Concepcion’s face was all puffy at the end of the bout? Would Donaire have been so stupid not to make adjustments to his fight plan after realizing what the overweight Concepcion was up to?

I talked over the phone to Donaire a few hours after the fight. Earlier in the day, I was interviewed by DZBB’s Orly Trinidad and Solar’s Mike Ochosa and I said that Donaire, Ring’s no. 7 pound-for-pound fighter, should have no trouble stopping Concepcion inside of six rounds. I did not know then that the Panamanian was climbing the ring at least eight pounds heavier than Donaire. I did however tell Trinidad that what worries me is the fact that Concepcion cannot take the impact of Donaire’s punches when it hits its target and Donaire might end up hurting his hands against a much heavier fighter whom he has to punch much harder.

In that call, Donaire, said he hurt his left hand between the second and third round when he hit Concepcion with an uppercut.

Donaire arrived early yesterday morning and he will be honored by Mayor Alfredo Lim with a motorcade around the City of Manila. If things go as planned, Chino Trinidad and I may be able to arrange a meeting between the Donaires and the children and grandchildren of Sen. Ninoy and President Cory Aquino. The Aquinos would like to thank Donaire for dedicating the fight in honor of their late mother while Donaire hopes to personally turn over the yellow robe and trunks he wore for the fight.

Truly, what a noble way of honoring two heroes.