Fighter of the Month– Nonito Donaire
Nobody ever knocked his talent and few could downplay the abilities he so obviously possessed.
The problem with “The Filipino Flash” was merely a promotional issue– He simply was not being matched up against fighters who could test that immense talent.
In the three years and five months between his demolitions of Vic Darchinyan and Wladimir Sidorenko, Donaire has been matched up against one no-hoper after another, hitting rock bottom with his February, 2010 contest against Manuel Vargas, a fringe strawweight contender fighting three full weight classes above his division.
But on February 19th, Donaire erased the three plus years of cruise control by absolutely blasting a prime, two-belt bantamweight champion, Fernando Montiel, in two short rounds via one of the most perfect counter left hooks in recent history.
By taking out the consensus top dog in the bantamweight division, Donaire’s accomplishments have finally caught up with his tremendous talents. There are plenty of fights to be made from 118 to 126, so there’s plenty of room to assume the position of “superstar.” Hopefully, we’ll see just how high the “Filipino Flash” can fly.
Bum of the Month: Oscar De la Hoya
If there’s any truth to the rumors that Golden Boy Promotions is having some cash flow problems, figurehead Oscar De la Hoya is most definitely not doing the company a favor with his recent performances.
Oscar’s just a talking head in his own organization, so he can’t be directly blamed for Golden Boy’s run of wretched mismatches and cynical matchmaking, but even as a public relations Ken doll, he has been an utter failure.
In February, De la Hoya took to the road in support of March 5th’s Saul Alvarez-Matthew Hatton title farce on HBO and managed to insult the intelligence of every fight fan in the process.
Comparing Hatton’s underdog status to Shane Mosley’s when he fought De la Hoya and Chris John’s when he met Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar would take to TV in defense of the indefensible conspiracy between his company and the nauseating WBC.
And if that weren’t enough, De la Hoya would then bend the boundaries of good taste by insisting that April 9th’s Marcos Maidana-Erik Morales bout “has Fight of the Year written all over it.”
Obviously, as a promoter Oscar has to hype his own fights, but he could at the very least stop insulting the intelligence of the boxing fans by uttering such idiocies.
The BTBC Thread of the Month–
Is the Ring Title the Most Legit?
The kind of debate that happens when boxing’s smartest hardcore fans gather to talk about the sport they love. Is Ring Magazine’s title the most legit or do the their flaws and conflicts of interest exclude Ring Magazine from any semblance of legitimacy?..Come Join The BTBC, boxing’s first and only 100% Troll-Free forum. Rub elbows with The Boxing Tribune writing staff as well as an awesome group of hardcore fight fans.
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