Is Donaire The Next Pacquiao?

Last week I posted my previous editorial about Pacquiao's loss and if it's time for him to retire. And most of you do not agree with me about the religion thing so let's move on.

Exactly a week after Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao cold in Las Vegas, Nonito Donaire knocked out Jorge Arce in a 3rd round knockout in Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Just 1 second remained in the round when the Filipino Flash put the lights out on El Travieso, who eventually announced his retirement after the fight.

That latest win of Donaire makes me wonder, is Donaire the next Manny Pacquiao???

In the eyes of a ordinary yet verbose intellectual man like me, the answer is yes. Since his unanimous decision loss to Rosendo Sanchez 11 years ago, Donaire seems to be unstoppable, constantly improving his skills and his condition. He currently has a 30-fight winning streak, and is also the No. 6 pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

But amidst the fame and fortune he receives today, Donaire has a dark past, just like me.

In childhood, Donaire was a frail, asthmatic and wimpy kid who got bullied in school and frequently came home crying. He was picked on for three years, until a little after he migrated to San Leandro, California. At home, he felt no attention was paid to him, as a middle child (he is the third among four siblings). He wanted to be recognized by his parents, especially his father. As soon as his brother Glenn started boxing, ten year old Nonito craved the respect and recognition his brother received, and started it. His father took him to a boxing gym at age eleven to get him off the streets. In his first amateur bout as a child, he beat his opponent with straight punches, all the while thinking that "I’m going to kill him before he kills me." However, he had little confidence until he earned five professional knockout victories.

During their younger years, Donaire and his older brother Glenn would spar, with the younger brother losing the majority of their bouts. As a kid, Donaire watched videos of his hero Alexis Argüello, using them to learn how to throw his powerful left hook. While in San Lorenzo High School in San Lorenzo, California the brothers won an assortment of regional and district amateur boxing championships (His cousin, Richard Donaire, is also a professional boxer).

During his early career, he had hated boxing. Due to excessive pressure, he had not only never enjoyed boxing, but had even dreaded it every day. Nevertheless, he did stick with it because he did not want to disappoint his father. Currently, he loves and enjoys boxing because he always fights for such people who support him and believe in him, and finally for himself.

Every insult he received when he was a kid had transformed him into, as Mexican bocing fans say, a "monster." An unstoppable force with a 30-fight winning streak, Nonito Donaire will certainly be included in the Hall of Fame someday. But for now, we will expect more fights from him. Just focus on boxing and never get involved into other fields like showbiz and politics, and I'm pretty damn sure he will succeed Manny Pacquiao as our next boxing idol.

I, THE POOCH, HAVE SPOKEN.