What happened to Nonito?

[Aztekkas]

Well of course he was defeated by the ever so elusive and defensive wizard that is Guillermo Rigo. but ever since he seems to be a mere shadow of his former self. After a depressing outing versus a bloated featherweight in a lousy rematch with Vic Darchinyan, Nonito seems to have lost his poise. In a rematch that was meant to be a blowout, he struggled on the cards but managed to pull off a TKO victory, unimpressive to say the least..

A former fighter of the year, 3 weight champion and PFP elite boxer, Nonito seems to have peaked. At 31 and now facing a difficult opponent in Simpiwe Vetyeka, Donaire and his "new" trainer Nonito Sr. are hoping to rejuvenate his career. With a new camp and attempting to return to his roots by now training in his homeland, Nonito and his father are trying to turn back the hands of time and have the filipino contender show off his once fancy footwork and devastating left hook to the masses.

At one point i believed in a PFP setting, Donaire could outclass a fighter in the likes of his fellow countryman, Manny Pacquiao. I wonder, if MP were to face a boxer in the specimen of Rigo, with similar precision,skill, power and athleticism, would he change as well?

So my question stands***8230; is Nonito Donaire headed down hill due to his own body***8230;ageing and or lack of interest? or was Guillermo so good he pushed Donaire to question himself and ultimately grounded the Filipino Flash permanently? What would a loss/victory for Nonito do for him at this stage in his limbo bound career?

[tjones1989]

He's had one fight since losing to Rigondeaux (is that how you spell it lol). He'll bounce back.

[Firefist]

I think with "greatness" out of the question boxing is more of a job to him now. I don't think he's peaked at all and can make a strong comeback if he made his career a priority.

[Aztekkas]

I think with "greatness" out of the question boxing is more of a job to him now. I don't think he's peaked at all and can make a strong comeback if he made his career a priority.

Interesting. What do you think led him to the point of disregarding his once great status in boxing? aside from his loss, i think Nonito realised his love affair with his lead left hook was blinding him.

I have been reading a few articles stating that he can reach 126 comfortably, but he might be moving up once again in the near future. Only having one fight at 126 to analyse, do you believe he can carry his power to featherweight and beyond? or would his goal of moving up in divisions stagnate his power? Also, was leaving Garcia a good move? idk.. I want Donaire to be remembered as a great champion and its quite sad to see how far off he strayed from his path in my opinion.

[Firefist]

Interesting. What do you think led him to the point of disregarding his once great status in boxing? aside from his loss, i think Nonito realised his love affair with his lead left hook was blinding him.

I have been reading a few articles stating that he can reach 126 comfortably, but he might be moving up once again in the near future. Only having one fight at 126 to analyse, do you believe he can carry his power to featherweight and beyond? or would his goal of moving up in divisions stagnate his power? Also, was leaving Garcia a good move? idk.. I want Donaire to be remembered as a great champion and its quite sad to see how far off he strayed from his path in my opinion.

I think it's the same situation that hit Hamed. Both were knockout artists that looked unbeatable and probably got told that everyday until they believed their own hype.

Most fighters know they aren't going to be Duran or Leonard but do it anyways. I don't think that was the case with Nonito. He probably entered the Rigo fight feeling unbeatable and got humbled in the worst way.

The fact that he hated boxing in his early career and didn't love it until he had a fan base supports this. Once your legacy is taken away and you have a family priorities just change. Greatness isn't as important as the paycheck anymore.

I think leaving Garcia was a mistake.

[paulf]

Hype and momentum dissipate quickly in boxing, as with many sports. It's not what have you done, it's what have you done lately.

Nonito shouldn't have left Robert, he should have relocated during camp to Garcia's gym all along. Kind of funny that when Boxers start acting like the shot callers over their trainer, they start putting in lackluster performances.

[Tru]

the guy got married and just had a kid. he's more focused on his family now, which he should be doing. he had a good run and made good money. boxers do have lives outside of boxing you know

[Aztekkas]

I think it's the same situation that hit Hamed. Both were knockout artists that looked unbeatable and probably got told that everyday until they believed their own hype.

Most fighters know they aren't going to be Duran or Leonard but do it anyways. I don't think that was the case with Nonito. He probably entered the Rigo fight feeling unbeatable and got humbled in the worst way.

The fact that he hated boxing in his early career and didn't love it until he had a fan base supports this. Once your legacy is taken away and you have a family priorities just change. Greatness isn't as important as the paycheck anymore.

I think leaving Garcia was a mistake.

Hype and momentum dissipate quickly in boxing, as with many sports. It's not what have you done, it's what have you done lately.

Nonito shouldn't have left Robert, he should have relocated during camp to Garcia's gym all along. Kind of funny that when Boxers start acting like the shot callers over their trainer, they start putting in lackluster performances.

so we agree, leaving Garcia was a mistake. It's true what they say, you're only as good as your last fight i suppose. If he beats Vetyeka and decides to move up… i think his career might end at 130. If his power doesn't carry over and his footwork and hand speed deteriorate within the next few fights.. i see him retiring. Uchiyama, Miura and Mikey are all some tough champions for anyone and can possibly clear the path for a fighter in the twilight of his career to step away.

[lefthook2daliva]

He got taken apart and humiliated by a baddass Cuban immigrant and that's that.

He's too mentally fragile to come back from it.

Nonito may come back and make some money, but the guy that destroyed Montiel is over.

[Blu]

He just doesn't seem to have his heart into boxing anymore. Also smaller guys like Donaire usually peak pretty fast compared to bigger guys.

Wasn't he also having promotional issues with Top Rank not too long ago? So you also have that in the background.