Donaire may delay return home

MANILA, Philippines - Nursing a slight fracture in his right cheekbone, former four-time world boxing champion Nonito Donaire Jr. said yesterday he will wait for doctors’ orders before deciding when to come home and hold his baby son Jarel’s baptism in Manila.

Donaire told The Star he was whacked by Vic Darchinyan in the fourth or fifth round and felt the impact on his cheekbone. A CT-Scan later revealed a hairline fracture that may or may not require surgery. Donaire said the probability is the damage will heal by itself but it could take three or four months.

Donaire said the injury will be treated by otolaryngologist Dr. James Wu at the Seton Medical Center in Daly City, near San Francisco. He was referred to Dr. Wu by Dr. Shabi Khan who repaired torn ligaments in his right shoulder in a procedure after his fight against Guillermo Rigondeaux last April.

Donaire said the CT-Scan showed a misalignment in the swollen cheekbone. But the good news is he feels no pain. “We want to be sure there is no bone protrusion,” he said. “The initial reading is it’s nothing serious, that it will heal by itself and no surgery is required. We’ll consult with doctors then decide when to come home. Hopefully, we’ll be home for Christmas.”

The rematch against Darchinyan pushed Donaire to the limit as the Filipino Flash was behind on two of the three judges’ scorecards when he scored a dramatic stoppage at 2:06 of the ninth. Referee Laurence Cole stepped in to halt the carnage as Darchinyan was defenseless in a corner, still wobbly from the left hook that dropped him earlier. Two judges gave Darchinyan six rounds and Donaire only two before the ninth while the third had it even, 76-all. The judges were Levi Martinez, Nelson Vazquez and Oren Shellenberger.

Compubox stats showed that Donaire was more accurate in connecting 34 percent of his punches compared to Darchinyan’s 20 percent but the Armenian was busier, throwing 258 blows to the Filipino’s 234. Despite the disparity in the judges’ scorecards, Donaire outlanded Darchinyan in six of the nine rounds with the fourth and seventh even. Darchinyan had more connections only in the fifth round, 9-of-32 to Donaire’s 5-of-27. In the ninth, Donaire blasted Darchinyan with 16 blows, including 14 power punches, and took only two. Overall, Donaire landed 80-of-234 to Darchinyan’s 52-of-258. Donaire had the edge in jabs, 22-4, and power shots, 58-48.

Donaire admitted the thought of quitting entered his mind during the fight. He recounted, “When he hit me in the cheek, it felt like he broke my cheek so part of my mind was ‘is this it for me? Should I keep going?’ but I put my mind and heart into it and said, ‘you know what, I will never, ever quit.”

Prompted by trainer Robert Garcia and father Nonito, Sr. in his corner to let his hands go, Donaire answered the bell for the ninth round with a sense of urgency. He finally found the opening to land his potent left hook and Darchinyan collapsed on all fours. Darchinyan got up at the count of six but looked badly shaken. Donaire went in for the kill and Cole stopped it a few seconds later.

“It wasn’t my win, it was the Philippines’ win,” said Donaire. “We are strong and we have faith. Thank you, Lord, for keeping me safe, giving me a sound mind, helping me see what needed to be done. Thank you to the Archangels and especially, all the fans and Filipinos who watched despite the typhoon. I have a lot of work still to do but first, I need to get the cheek X-rayed for fracture and rest.”

The win raised Donaire’s record to 32-2, with 21 KOs, and put him back in the championship picture. Donaire turns 31 tomorrow and will celebrate his birthday on a happy note. Darchinyan, 37, has now lost three of his last five outings but isn’t about to hang up his gloves.

“This was a tough loss,” said Darchinyan. “I knew I was beating him easy. But in my head, I felt the judges were going to give it to him. I thought I needed a KO. I made the mistake of not following my corner’s advice. But in defeat, I still showed the many flaws of Donaire and proved I can still compete at the top level.” Darchinyan’s manager Frankie Espinoza said, “despite the loss, he proved he can still compete…he may move back down to 122 pounds.”

Darchinyan, who has won world titles in three different divisions, scaled 125.75 pounds for the 10-round featherweight bout while Donaire weighed in at 125.25. Both fighters made their debut in the 126-pound division.