Not too many fans know that to get to the top, newly crowned WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. assembled a top-flight team to prepare him mentally and physically for every fight.
Former IBF superfeatherweight champion Robert Garcia is Donaire’s chief strategist – the man who puts together the fight plan and works his corner. One-time WBC flyweight title challenger Jonathan Peñalosa attends to his gym drills.
Mike Bazzel is Donaire’s personal trainer, his strength and conditioning coach. Ukrainian sprint coach Remi Korchemny and chiropractor Dr. Cameron Fort, an expert in the art of releasing tension, are also on the team. Korchemny has trained the likes of sprinters Dwain Chambers and Kelli White. Finally, there is Victor Conte, a nutritionist, conditioning expert and former bass guitarist with “Tower of Power.”
Let’s not forget Donaire’s wife Rachel who tends to all the house and administrative chores, allowing the champion to fully concentrate on his career. Rachel’s job isn’t as glamorous as some fans think – she keeps things in order, does the laundry, washes the dishes and spares Donaire from any household headache.
According to Donaire’s mother-in-law Becky Marcial, Conte cried when the Filipino Flash halted Fernando Montiel in Las Vegas last Saturday. Two other Donaire father-figures Dr. Osamu Kato and Dr. Charlie Antonini shed tears as they witnessed their “son” win the biggest fight of his career.
“Victor, Dr. Charlie and Dr. Kato love Nonito like a son,” said Becky. “Victor once served time in prison for distributing steroids and it was Nonito who gave him a second chance in life. Dr. Charlie, an Italian, works with Filipino doctors and nurses at Seton Medical in Daly City and was in Las Vegas to give Nonito moral support. Of course, Dr. Kato was there, too. He has been very supportive throughout Nonito’s career.”
How Donaire and Conte hooked up is a beautiful story in itself.
“They met at a Wells Fargo Bank branch,” related Becky. “Victor was told by the bank manager that Northern California has two top fighters, Nonito and Andre Ward. Then, like it was fate, they were introduced to each other. It turned out that Victor’s daughter works out with Mike Bazzel. Victor swears that Nonito has changed his life – a clean-cut, honest guy who showed him the way to remorse. Now, Victor is involved with the US Olympic Committee in an all-out war against illegal drug use among athletes.”
Conte pleaded guilty on a charge of conspiracy to distribute steroids and was imprisoned in 2005. He testimony implicated several steroid-users including Olympic five-time gold medalist Marion Jones, Chambers and White. Conte founded the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) that, according to writer Kevin Iole, “became notorious for supplying world-class athletes with steroids that were undetectable at the time.” Conte reportedly supplied “designer” steroids to athletes who otherwise would’ve taken dangerous animal-sourced steroids. “Those athletes would’ve been dead in 20 years if they continued to take the animal-sourced steroids,” said Becky.
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Conte introduced Donaire to his recovery drink inventions which are sold using independent labels in various US health stores and to “hypoxic” training which simulates altitudes of up to 15,000 feet. The “hypoxic” method is a series of exercises designed for the blood cells to accept more oxygen.
With Korchemny, Donaire has improved his time in a 20-yard dash from 2.78 seconds to 2.48 seconds. Iole quoted Conte as saying it was like improving by three yards in a 20-yard sprint.
“It’s all very scientific,” said Becky. “When Nonito works out, they strap something to his wrist and chest to measure his body reactions then a graph shows the movements in a computer. They monitor his body fat, heart beat, body weight, blood levels and all that. When Nonito cuts down weight, they’re careful to make sure he’s never dehydrated.”
Iole said there’s a danger that skeptics may suspect Conte is pumping up Donaire with undetectable “designer” steroids like what he created for Sugar Shane Mosley in 2003. But Donaire said he couldn’t care less what skeptics speculate for as long as his conscience is clear. “Nonito has told the media repeatedly that he’s ready to be tested, 24/7, because he knows he’s clean,” said Becky. “He’s willing to submit to any kind of blood or drug test. He’s not afraid. And he’s standing by his relationship with Victor.”
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Conte said Donaire has given him a new lease on life. “I feel great about the relationship and that there is a bond there now after a long period of time of us being together,” said Conte quoted by Iole. “It’s genuine and we’re doing this the right way. Nonito is completely clean and he’s just a very gifted athlete who has a smart team of people with him.”
Garcia is amazed at Donaire’s condition, thanks to Bazzel, Conte, Korchemny and the rest. “He’s in such incredible shape and he goes at such a hard pace that when we’re done sparring 12 rounds, he’s smiling with his hands up in the air and it’s like he hasn’t even started,” said Garcia, quoted by Iole. “And he’s not only in so much better condition but he’s so much quicker. It’s amazing how fast he is.”
Donaire said it all to Iole. “If you look at the way I fight, it’s all a burst, all a sprint,” he said. “I’m not there to run six miles like a traditional fighter would do. When you fight in there, you don’t run for six miles. Your body has to be used to the fact that it’s a muscle twitch. It’s a fast muscle twitch. It’s similar to how I punch in the ring. It’s all muscle twitch. It’s all speed. It’s all burst. That’s the type of training I have with my sprinting.”
Surrounding himself with a quality support team is a big reason why Donaire is right now No. 3 in the world pound-for-pound ratings behind only Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.