MANILA, Philippines – Nonito Donaire Jr.’s contract dispute with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. puts the “Filipino Flash” in a difficult situation as it sent his boxing career in limbo, said an analyst.
Doug Fischer of The Ring Magazine, which is touted as “the bible of boxing,” said Donaire’s contractual dispute would render his recent victory over Mexico’s Fernando Montiel last February useless.
“He had already lost a lot of momentum and he immediately regained it after knocking out Montiel and to not capitalize on that because of legal issues is just tragic,” Fischer said in an interview with Examiner.com’s Chris Robinson.
Last March, Donaire signed up with Golden Boy Promotions (GBP), competitor of Top Rank, despite Arum’s claim that the Filipino-American still has an existing contract with Top Rank.
Arum said that the Filipino boxer’s contract with Top Rank will expire on June 26, 2011 and that it has a “12-month extension" clause on Top Rank’s sole discretion.
The boxing promoter brought the issue to a legal arbiter, which ruled in favor of Top Rank.
As a result of the dispute, Donaire’s supposed unification title fight against Panama’s Anselmo Moreno on May 28 will not push through.
Donaire is the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion.
Fischer said Donaire’s spectacular 2nd-round technical knockout victory over Montiel should have been the Filipino boxer’s springboard to bigger fights.
Fisher noted that Donaire showed that he is indeed among the world’s best boxers in that fight.
"It was the kind of performance where everyone says 'You are one of the best fighters in the world. You are an elite fighter',” said Fischer.
Donaire is currently ranked by The Ring Magazine as the Top 4 pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
0 Comments
