Underdog Boxing: Donaire out to make up for lost time against Narvaez

After what can be considered a self-imposed 10-month layoff for Nonito Donaire (26-1-0, 18 KOs), he will finally make his way back to the ring this Saturday (Sunday in Manila). Up against him will be the undefeated Omar Narvaez (35-0-2, 19 KOs) of Argentina. The 10-month layoff has been much publicized. Donaire tried to move to Golden Boy Promotions only to be told that he in legally bound to stay with Top Rank. Donaire used this opportunity to renegotiate for a more lucrative deal, fit for a fighter who just defeated the former King of the Bantamweights in Fernando Montiel. Is Narvaez a legitimate challenge for Donaire? I don’t think so. Was he a good choice for an opponent? Most definitely. The other four bantamweights of worth are all scheduled to fight each other on December so Donaire could not have faced any of them. Abner Mares and Joseph Agbeko will have their rematch for the IBF bantamweight title and WBA champion Anselmo Moreno will battle one-time Donaire victim Vic Darchinyan in the undercard. If Donaire fought any other bantamweight outside of those four, it will be considered as a mismatch and will be largely dismissed by the public. Narvaez is at least a legitimate champion at 115 and he is undefeated, which will definitely add to the appeal of the fight. The promoters have harped on the fact that no one has defeated Narvaez yet and they have totally turned a blind eye on the fact that he has not really faced anyone of high regard in his entire career. For Donaire, the real challenge is at the super bantamweight and feather weight divisions. At 122, he can fight guys like Jorge Arce, or Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., or Toshiaki Nishioka; all of those make for classic fights. At 126, there’s Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuri Gamboa. The two fights against the featherweight as especially appealing. Donaire was having a very hard time shedding off the pounds when he was back at 112 and 115. He is okay right now at 118 although he still needs to put in some effort to make weight but at 122 and 126, Donaire can let his body fill out more and there he could be a far dangerous fighter as his punching power will likely go up. He is using the latest available technology to take care of his body and when he reaches his physical prime, Donaire can be the best fighter in the lower weight divisions. Although the this Sunday’s match will be nothing more than a keep busy fight for Donaire, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy it. His boxing is superb and he is only getting better. Expect another highlight reel knockout reminiscent of the victories over Montiel and Darchinyan or a demolition like his win over Wkadinir Sidorenko. The result of his next fight cannot possibly be much different from the three. Donaire has suffered from two aborted take-offs before. After his win over Darchinyan, he couldn’t get the fights he wanted because everyone avoided him. After knocking out Montiel, contract disputes came in the way. Now, Donaire should make sure that this fight marks the start of his steepest ascent yet. Filipino fight fans expect a lot from Donaire because we know he is capable of great things. Against, Narvaez, he’ll surely give us a glimpse of what is to come. - OMG, GMA News