Sentimental homecoming for Donaire

MANILA, Philippines - Former IBF/IBO flyweight, WBC/WBO bantamweight, WBA/WBO superbantamweight and WBA featherweight champion Nonito Donaire, Jr. is raring to make his first Manila ring appearance in 14 fights since 2009 and fourth ever as he takes on Brazil’s William Prado in the blockbuster Pinoy Pride 30 card at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on March 28.

It’s not often that a Filipino battles a Brazilian on home shores. In 1963, the legendary Brazilian Eder Jofre came to Manila to stake his world bantamweight crown against Filipino challenger Johnny Jamito at the Big Dome. Jofre scored an 11th round technical knockout. Three other Filipino victims in Jofre’s career were Danny Kid, Leo Espinosa and Tony Jumao-as who all lost 10-round decisions in Sao Paolo.

Brazil isn’t as well-known for producing boxers as mixed martial arts fighters. Jofre is arguably the greatest Brazilian boxer of all time, finishing a 19-year career in 1976 with a 72-2-4 record, including 50 KOs. Two other renowned Brazilian boxers are former WBO/WBA superfeatherweight and WBO lightweight champion Acelino Freitas and former WBF heavyweight titlist Adilson Rodrigues who fought and lost to George Foreman and Evander Holyfield.

Prado, 31, isn’t in Jofre’s class but Donaire can’t take him lightly. He comes with a 22-4-1 record, including 15 KOs, six in the first round. From 2008 to 2012, Prado strung up an unbeaten streak of 15 bouts. He has never won outside of Brazil, losing to Scott Quigg in England, Jeremy Parodi in France and Paulus Ambunda in Namibia. His other loss was to Cleber Correa dos Santos for the vacant Brazilian bantamweight crown in 2008.

Prado hasn’t fought in nearly a year with his most recent outing a first round demolition of debuting Marcelo Bispo last April. He started his career on a high note, scoring five straight wins, four by KO. Since turning pro in 2007, he has boxed 141 rounds compared to 214 by Donaire from 2001.

In 2013, Prado took on Quigg in Lancashire and was blown away. Quigg bloodied Prado’s nose in the first round and dropped the Brazilian with a hard right in the second. Lefts to the body softened up Prado for the kill. Quigg ended the massacre with a right hook as Prado went down for the full count. It was over at 2:31 of the third. Paul Wheeler of Boxing News wrote that Quigg “targeted Prado’s fleshy midsection with digging lefts” before the curtains fell.

Donaire will be out not only to impress Filipino fans with a homecoming victory but also to declare he’s ready to bounce back and fight the big boys.  His last fight in Manila was against Raul Martinez whom he floored thrice in posting a fourth round stoppage to retain his IBF/IBO flyweight titles at the Araneta Coliseum. That was 14 bouts since his previous Manila outing, a win on points over Mark Sales at the Cantada Sports Center in Taguig in November 2002. His Manila debut was in May 2002 when he stopped Noel Alina in two rounds at the Elorde Sports Center in Sucat. The fight against Prado will be Donaire’s fourth in Manila after Alina, Sales and Martinez.

Donaire, 32, boasts a record of 33-3, with 21 KOs, but has lost two of his last four, a decision to Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2013 and a sixth round knockout defeat to Jamaica’s Nicholas Walters last October. In between the setbacks, Donaire halted Vic Darchinyan and scored a technical decision over Simpiwe Vetyeka. Donaire trailed on two of the three judges scorecards when he took down Darchinyan in a dramatic ninth round knockout.

Donaire said losing to Walters was a learning experience. He wobbled Walters in the second round and threw caution to the wind in the third, going for a knockout. But Walter turned the tables on the Filipino Flash, dropping him in the third and eventually ending it in the sixth. If Donaire showed more patience and boxed instead of engaged, he might have pulled off a win.

“If I listened to what he (father Nonito, Sr.) said in the third round, which was to box and be smart, we might have had a different outcome but that’s a different story,” said Donaire, quoted by Tris Dixon of Boxing News. “That’s why I want to give my dad a chance, it’s not fair because my performance has not been really good but that’s because I didn’t give him a chance by not listening.”

With the painful lesson of defeat now behind him, Donaire vowed to be a smarter, faster, more intelligent and more patient fighter. “I learned the hard way,” he said. “I learned that patience is a virtue for my style, I learned to listen to my dad, I learned to listen to my corner.” Nonito, Sr. worked the corner when Donaire won his first world title in 2007.  He’ll be back in the corner for the Prado fight.

Donaire has dropped back from featherweight to superbantamweight to face Prado. Down the road, the Filipino Flash could be lined up against the undefeated Rigondeaux, the WBO/WBA superbantamweight champion, in a rematch. Redemption is on Donaire’s mind and it starts with the fight against Prado.