'Thrilla in Manila II'

Last Thursday’s lunch at Jorge (Nene) Araneta’s White House in Cubao, Quezon City, for newly crowned World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight titlist Nonito Donaire Jr. and his close friends, was pretty much like most other private gatherings hosted by Nene at his palatial home: excellent food and, in the company of sportsmen and boxers, the conversation is, of course, about boxing.

One of Nene’s lunch guests was Kiyoshi (Waka) Wakamiya, famed Japanese journalist, who accompanied the charismatic opposition leader Sen. Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino from Taipei on the China Air Lines flight that brought Ninoy to the Manila International Airport. Minutes after Ninoy stepped out of the plane, escorted by former President Ferdinand Marcos’s security forces, Ninoy was shot in the back of his head. Waka swears to have seen a hand belonging to one of Ninoy’s escorts that pulled the trigger of the Magnum .357 used in what was a well-planned execution.

Another lunch guest of Nene was Waka’s close friend and compatriot, Dr. Osamu Kato, one of the world’s leading experts in In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). The night before, Kato, Waka, Lulu (Filipina wife of Waka) and I, among others, had dinner with Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona (at the Japanese restaurant, Toki at the Fort), who told me that pending a few other requirements, Kato’s IVF clinic in Makati was practically approved. Kato’s clinic is the third in the Philippines, the first two being located in Manila and Cebu.

A few days before our lunch, I had floated, through Waka, the possibility of Kato getting involved in a Donaire title fight against any opponent at the Araneta Coliseum on Oct. 1 (a Saturday) this year to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier “Thrilla in Manila”. The proposed fight could have Donaire taking on a number of opponents, among them, Abner Mares, the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title holder and Joseph Agbeko, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion. Mares and Agbeko will meet each other on April 23 in a unification bout and the winner will have two titles tucked under his belt.

The winner of the Mares-Agbeko bout will be a perfect inspiration for Donaire who is aiming to achieve history by being the first Filipino to hold four titles in the same division at the same time. Donaire, when asked to comment on the prospect of such a historic claim said that, if the Oct. 1 bout at Araneta pushes through to commemorate the historic “Thrilla in Manila”, then “Thrilla in Manila II” should also contribute to another milestone in Philippine boxing: if he wins, four world titles in the same division will be held simultaneously by a Filipino.

The other possible opponent of Donaire is World Boxing Association (WBA) Bantamweight Regular (strangely, WBA also has a “Super” Bantamweight champion, Anselmo Moreno who has been lined up to meet Donaire on May 28 either in Oakland or Las Vegas) king, Japan’s Koki Kameda (24-1-0; 15 KOs). The 25-year old Koki is the oldest of three Kameda boxers. The others are Daiki, who campaigns in the super flyweight division and the youngest, Tomoki, the WBC Youth Intercontinental Super Bantamweight champion. According to Kato and Waka, Koki, the former WBA light flyweight champion is, by far, the most popular among the Kameda brothers (who by themselves are Japan’s most famous boxers today).

Koki’s career has been marked by controversy dating back to his amateur days at the age of 14, when he met former WBC minimum weight and WBA light flyweight champion Hiroki Ioka in a two-round exhibition match. Boxing enthusiasts say Koki won by virtue of scoring a first-round knockdown which the referee ruled a slip.

Koki’s first try to win a world title, the WBA flyweight crown against Venezuela’s Juan Jose Landaeta was also controversial. Several boxing websites stated a great number of Japanese boxing fans protested Koki’s split decision victory over Landaeta. It was reported that some 50,000 calls were made to the carrying TV station of the fight, Tokyo Broadcasting System, protesting the victory of Koki, then 19 years old. Koki won despite being knocked down in the first round and clinching most of the last round, obviously having ran out of gas.

If the Donaire-Kameda match up happens, a historical twist shall be added to the bout: it shall serve to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the normalization of Philippine-Japan relations.

Donaire, for his part is willing to take on anyone “they put in front of me”. Right now, Donaire is involved in a contract dispute with Bob Arum, the settlement of which is a crucial factor in staging “Thrilla in Manila II”. Donaire did reveal his thoughts on the dispute – a topic to be discussed in future columns.