Donaire bags WBO crown in gutsy win

MANILA, Philippines - Bucking a slight fracture in his left hand, Nonito Donaire, Jr. went beyond the call of duty and pounded out a split 12-round decision over Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. to capture the vacant WBO superbantamweight crown at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, last Saturday night (yesterday morning, Manila).

Donaire, 29, couldn’t recall what round he hurt his hand, speculating it was anywhere between the second and fourth but shrugged off the pain to score the win over Vazquez who was cheered on by a predominantly Hispanic crowd. In an incredible display of guts, Donaire used his injured hand to drop Vazquez in the ninth----a left uppercut stunning the Puerto Rican then a left hook to the jaw sending him to the canvas. Vazquez got up quickly and survived the assault as Donaire, probably feeling the pain in his hand, chose not to pursue his prey.

There was no doubt who deserved the verdict. Judges Levi Martinez of New Mexico and Don Trella of Connecticut both scored it 117-110 for Donaire. The dissenting vote came from Texas’ Dr. Ruben Garcia who saw it 115-112 for Vazquez, meaning he gave Donaire only four rounds and the Puerto Rican eight. The Star had it 116-111 for Donaire.

According to Donaire’s wife Rachel, the damage to the hand was nothing serious. “No bones jutting out, nothing to worry about, it’s just a minor fracture,” she said. “We’ll have the hand X-rayed but the initial diagnosis is it’s nothing major. The blood came from the scraping of his knuckles. The right hand is fine. At the moment, we don’t think the recovery will delay the schedule for his next fight.”

Rachel said what she was upset about was Garcia’s scoring. “It’s uncalled for,” she fumed. Garcia showed undisputed bias in scoring the fight for Vazquez. Rachel said she’s looking forward to coming back to Manila with Donaire in one or two weeks.

Like Donaire, Rachel couldn’t be sure when the injury happened. She mentioned noticing Donaire paced himself in the middle rounds before launching his final drive. “Jun kept his cool and did what he had to do,” she said. “He fought a smart fight. He never rushed things.”

Donaire got off the starting gate on a hot streak, using his speed to baffle Vazquez. He repeatedly peppered Vazquez with left jabs and overhand rights to set the pace. In the third, Donaire staggered Vazquez with a sweeping left that sent the Puerto Rican reeling back into a corner. Donaire went after Vazquez, raining blows from all angles but somehow, couldn’t finish off the durable warrior who was heavier and bigger. Donaire even dropped both hands to invite Vazquez to engage. That fusillade could’ve left Donaire with the fracture.

In the fourth, action slowed down and as Vazquez noticed the drop in Donaire’s workrate, he stepped up his attack. Vazquez began landing his stiff left jab and with gloves held high, Donaire couldn’t penetrate the defense. Donaire opened the fifth round with his right hand up to parry Vazquez’s left jab and appeared content to counterpunch. Vazquez connected with a vicious right straight to the mouth, snapping Donaire’s head back. In the sixth, Vazquez continued to find the mark with his left jab and right straight. Donaire switched to southpaw in an effort to stymie Vazquez’s juggernaut. Donaire switch-hit again in the seventh as Vazquez gained in confidence. The fight turned into a donnybrook as both fighters stood their round to exchange power shots. Donaire hit Vazquez with a left uppercut-right hook combination that reminded the Puerto Rican who was in charge.

Vazquez adjusted his tactics and boxed Donaire from a distance in the eighth. Donaire closed the gap by moving in and even ridiculed Vazquez by squatting, putting both hands on his thighs as if to say he’s not intimidated. Donaire re-established total control in the ninth, numbing Vazquez with a left uppercut then decking him with a follow-up left hook.

In the 10th, Vazquez tried to use his size in pushing Donaire to the ropes. Realizing he was behind on points, Vazquez resorted to pressure in looking for the opening to land a knockout blow. Donaire was back in his element, moving side-to-side and throwing combinations while bouncing up and down on his feet. The Filipino Flash’s class was evident as Vazquez’s spirit was ebbing. Vazquez attempted to trap Donaire along the ropes and into a corner in the 11th. Donaire patiently picked his spots, spearing Vazquez with left jabs. The Puerto Rican, showing fatigue, wasn’t as fresh on his feet as Donaire and visibly slowed down.

Donaire was like a dancing maestro in the 12th, swaying and catching Vazquez with long jabs. His lateral movement was still dazzling, an indication of Donaire’s conditioning, as the battle of attrition came to a close. Against the ropes in the final seconds, Donaire fought back with dizzying flurries that flustered Vazquez who couldn’t just sustain his last-ditch onslaught.

The marks of a bitter war were evident in both fighters’ faces at the final bell. Donaire’s cheeks were puffy and his right eye was swollen. The bandage in his left hand was soaked in blood as a result of the scraping of his knuckles. Vazquez’s face was bruised, too. They gave it their all but in the end, the better man stood head and shoulders above the other.

After he was crowned new WBO superbantamweight champion, Donaire put up four fingers to indicate the world titles he’s won. He previously won the WBC flyweight, WBA interim superflyweight and WBC/WBO bantamweight crowns. The win raised his record to 28-1, with 18 KOs. Donaire hasn’t lost in 11 years. Vazquez’s record dropped to 21-2-1, with 18 KOs.