Nonito Donaire-Nicholas Walters: Pre-Fight Report Card

By Cliff Rold

Fighters who jump the scale always hit a wall.  Whether that wall hits them back, or they find the line they don’t see a need to cross, the scale matters.

This weekend, we’ll see what the scale has to say about Nonito Donaire. 

First making waves as a Flyweight, Donaire faces his first full-bodied Featherweight test since entering the division last year.  Yes, Donaire won a belt in his last outing.  Simpiwe Vetyeka spent most of his career at Bantamweight.  Donaire’s other fight, a come from behind knockout of the man he made his name against at Flyweight, Vic Darchinyan, is the sum of his time at 126 lbs.

Flyweight to Featherweight has been a rare jump.  Fighting Harada made it this far and no farther, first being robbed of winning the Featherweight crown and then being stopped in the rematch with Johnny Famechon.   Fidel LaBarba never won the title at Featherweight but developed a rivalry up to Jr. Lightweight with the great Kid Chocolate.  Manny Pacquiao made the jump and kept going.

It’s a tough leap.  His opponent this weekend is taller, younger, and with rehydration can be expected to be the bigger man in the ring Saturday night.  If Donaire really has the goods for Featherweight, we should know by Sunday morning. 

Let’s go to the report card.

The Ledgers

Nonito Donaire
Age: 31
Title: WBA “Super” Featherweight (2014-Present, 1st Attempted Defense)
Previous Titles: IBF Flyweight (2007-09, 3 Defenses); WBC/WBO Bantamweight (2011-12, 1 Defense); WBO Super Bantamweight (2012-13, 3 Defenses); IBF Super Bantamweight (2012)
Height: 5’5 ½
Weight: 125.6 lbs.
Hails from: San Leandro, California
Record: 33-2, 21 KO
Rankings: #1 (BoxRec), #2 (BoxingScene, TBRB), #3 (ESPN), #4 (Ring)
Record in Major Title Fights: 11-1, 7 KO (13-1, 8 KO including interim title fights) 
Current/Former World Champions Faced: 12 (Vic Darchinyan TKO5, TKO9; Moruti Mthalane TKO6; Hernan Marquez TKO8; Wladimir Sidorenko KO4; Fernando Montiel TKO2; Omar Narvaez UD12; Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. SD12; Jeffrey Mathebula UD12; Toshiaki Nishioka TKO9; Jorge Arce KO3; Guillermo Rigondeaux L12; Simpiwe Vetyeka Tech. Dec. 5)

Vs.

Nicholas Walters

Age: 28
Title: WBA ‘Regular’ Featherweight (2012-Present, 2 Defenses)
Previous Titles: None
Height: 5’7
Weight: 125.6 lbs.
Hails from: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Record: 24-0, 20 KO
Rankings: #3 (Ring), #5 (TBRB, ESPN), #6 (BoxingScene, BoxRec)
Record in Major Title Fights: 3-0, 3 KO (all for the sub-title of the WBA)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 1 (Vic Darchinyan KO5)

Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Donaire A; Walters B 

Pre-Fight: Power – Donaire A; Walters A
Pre-Fight: Defense – Donaire B+; Walters B
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Donaire A; Walters B+

Donaire enters the bout with two significant advantages over the younger Walters: speed and experience.  Often overly criticized for his competition, Donaire actually fights one of the more consistent slates in boxing.  To date, he’s the only major name to risk Rigondeuax (to his detriment) and he’s faced a who’s who of titlists from 112 to 126 lbs.  No, he hasn’t faced them all.  He’s just faced more than about anyone else.

If Donaire is confronting a new size dimension, Walters is face a new dimension of talent for the most part.  Aside from Darchinyan, his record has been built against an assortment of less known names.  That’s okay.  Everyone builds against someone.  Donaire wasn’t widely heralded until after he saw Darchinyan the first time.  Darchinyan’s greater experience didn’t matter against a better fighter.

Can Walters be a better fighter?  Much will depend on how he handles the explosive bursts of Donaire.  Walters has a decent jab but sometimes paws with it and can hang it out.  Donaire can take advantage of that.  Walters, who has heavy hands, good balance, and an educated uppercut, may have the countering weapons he needs when Donaire comes forward.

We’ve not seen Donaire stunned much over the years so there is no telling if this is the place where the punches really start to hurt.  Walters can crack, but can he take it?  Donaire has yet to show he can’t hurt his man in any class.  He’s going to touch Walters at some point.

If the Jamaican challenger (and in this all WBA beltholder match, that’s really what he is) can handle the power, and adjust to the speed, then size becomes a factor.  Methodical in his approach, Walters will keep coming at Donaire and looking to hurt him. 

Donaire has shown inconsistent adaptability in fights.  He’s got a De La Hoya-like tendency to have one game plan and stick to it no matter what.  When he needs to change his talent either bails him out or doesn’t but rarely do we see technical shifts.  If Walters starts to walk him down, he’s going to need to come up with some.        

The Pick

Walters is a sort of sexy pick, and for good reason. Walters is talented, heavy handed, and bigger. Donaire has been inconsistent for several years and was a miracle shot from being outboxed to a loss in the Darchinyan rematch. This one looks like ships passing.  Donaire will have some moments but Walters will handle them and be there still punching.  Eventually, it will break Donaire down and Walters leaves with the late stoppage in a fight more precise than thrilling.

Report Card Picks 2014: 47-20

Cliff’s Notes…

Donaire-Walters is the real main event on Saturday in terms of in-ring quality but that’s not what sold tickets in Southern California this weekend…Fans love a killing machine and WBA Middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin (30-0, 27 KO) has been built well in that regard.  It doesn’t say much for the depth at Middleweight that most of the non-sanctioning body ratings ratings (TBRB, Ring, ESPN) all have the well worn Marco Antonio Rubio (59-6-1, 51 KO) still rated in the top ten but that’s where we stand.  He marks the third widely recognized top-ten contender Golovkin has faced in his last five fights.  None of that obscures what this fight appears to be: a complete mismatch.  It’s been years since Rubio was overwhelmed in a shot at then-World Champion Kelly Pavlik and a couple more since he was soundly defeated by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.  Rubio hasn’t done much of note since but he hasn’t lost and that is good enough in the shallow 160 lb. pool.  The fans will get what they paid to see.  Golovkin by knockout in the first half of the fight.  

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com