By Jake Donovan

Wouldn’t it be great if after every win, a fighter dropped specific names of whom he next wanted to face, rather than the token response of chasing the biggest payday, but otherwise settling for “whoever my promoter puts in front of me?”

Wouldn’t it be great if every fighter demanded more than what is presented by their handlers, to the point of calling them to task and flat out admitting they’ve failed to maintain his interest?

Wouldn’t it be great if every fighter was gracious in defeat? Or walked with confidence but never to the point of bragging? Or spoke for himself rather than hide behind an army of PR reps, sidekicks and advisory and management staff that insist on censoring his every thought?

When you think about it, what exactly isn’t there to like about Nonito Donaire.

The supremely skilled Filipino reminded the boxing world (or at least those who were able to tune into last wekeend’s pay-per-view telecast) why is he so often regarded as one of the very best in the world, pound-for-pound.

In what was by far his most significant test since stopping Vic Darchinyan more than three years ago, Donaire enjoyed a brilliant bantamweight debut by becoming the first fighter to stop former bantamweight titlist Wladimir Sidirenko, battering and bloodying the Ukrainian en route to a fourth round knockout.

Donaire believes it to be his best performance to date, and even took the time to qualify his remark for those immediately confused by his comments.

“With Darchinyan, it was a one-punch knockout. Here, I got to show all of my skills,” was his explanation afterwards. There’s a lot of truth to his claim, as Donaire dominated every second of the bout, including his scoring three knockdowns before forcing a mercy stoppage midway through the fourth round at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Prior to the fight, Donaire insisted that while he respected Sidirenko as a worthy challenger, it was the knowledge of the Montiel fight being at stake that served as the motivation he felt has been missing from his career ever since knocking out Darchinyan more than three years ago.

Most would’ve been content to rest on their laurels on the heels of a dominant win against a credible foe, if not sitting on their lead altogether and milking the moment for a few more easy paydays.

A quick buck has never been what Donaire was after. What he’s always longed for is the opportunity to improve on his last fight, no matter how high he had previously set the bar.

It was that lack of opportunity following the Darchinyan win that led to a messy divorce with former promoter Gary Shaw. A long, drawn-out legal battle left the once hot commodity on the shelf to cool for most of 2008 before signing with Top Rank later that year.

Things didn’t get any better from a marketability standpoint; in fact, they moved backwards. During his tour with Shaw, Donaire was able to secure airtime on ESPN2 and Showtime while on the way up, including his last two fights with the New Jersey-based promoter.

Since signing with Top Rank in late 2008, he has only managed one appearance on Showtime – his eighth round knockout of Hernan Marquez this past July. His other five fights during that time haven’t just taken place on pay-per-view, but all on shows independently promoted and distributed by Top Rank, which meant little to no visibility beyond the night of the fight, as opposed to following week network replay.

Donaire never thought twice about speaking his mind when he felt his career wasn’t heading in the right direction. It was why he left Gary Shaw Productions (justifiably or otherwise) and also why he never seemed to keen on Top Rank’s “Pinoy Power” series, or the level of opposition he was given on such shows.

All he wanted was big fights and more exposure. It’s easier said than done in life at the lower weight classes, though it didn’t seem to prevent Darchinyan from continuing to secure one Showtime date after another, never having to go the pay-per-view route in order to stay busy.

It only made sense that Donaire was displeased with what he was being offered. He has the skills, the mindset and the charisma to deliver at the highest level and serve as the face of boxing if given the proper marketing push.

Just get him through the door, and he’ll take care of the rest, once the bell rings as well as when a microphone or camera is in his face.

The door has finally been left open just enough for Donaire to be able to walk through rather than have to kick it down.

A win over Montiel gives him long overdue recognition as quite possibly the best fighter in the world not named Manny or Floyd – and with the right follow-up, the possibility of passing both of them outright.

No longer will he have to be concerned about his heritage drawing immediate comparisons to a much more celebrated Filipino fighter, even though they couldn’t be more different from each other.

Manny Pacquiao has certainly earned his keep, but has also been given ample opportunity to prove that he is the best active fighter in the world today.

It’s only fair that Nonito Donaire is granted a similar opportunity.

Chances are that when all is said and done, the industry will learn that he goes well beyond merely being the best little big man in the sport, and that they could stand to use a few more like him. 

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.