KATULAD ng maraming magulang, ayaw nilang nasasaktan ang kanilang anak.
Ganito ang nararamdaman ngayon ni Nonito Donaire Sr. (a.k.a. Mang Dodong) sa kanyang anak na si Nonito Jr., ilang araw makalipas ang second round technical knockout loss sa kamay ni Japanese champion Naoya Inoue sa Saitama, Japan.
Nababahala si Donaire Sr. sa mga suntok na tinamo ng anak mula sa rematch at wala rin aniyang dapat ikahiya sa pagkatalo sa mas batang kampeon.
“I am thinking about those shots he took. He could be on the receiving end of punches again in his next and you never know the extent of the damage he took. It was not an embarrassment that he fought [and lost to Inoue],” pahayag ni Donaire Sr. sa panayam ng GMA News online.
Kaugnay nito, sinabi ni Donaire Sr. mas nais niyang tumigil na sa boksing ang anak lalo’t wala na itong dapat pang patunayan. “For me, he has nothing more to prove. He needs to take a rest.”
Dagdag niya: “If he wants to stay in boxing, he can manage or go to training. He can make money out of that but [he needs to look after] his health. He would not have gone down if those punches were nothing. He has to think. In all of his fights that was the first he got hit that badly.”
Hindi nakasama si Donaire Sr. sa laban ng anak sa Japan dahil sumailalim siya sa knee replacement surgery. “Nagte-therapy pa ko ngayon,” paliwanag niya.
Unang nagharap sina Donaire at Inoue noong 2019 at bagama’t bumagsak ang ‘Filipino Flash’ sa 11th round, pinahirapan niya ang ‘Japanese Monster’ bago nakuha ang unanimous decision win. Katunayan, nagtamo ng broken orbital bone ang ngayo’y WBA/IBF/WBC champion.
Tinanghal na “Fight of the Year’ ang laban ng dalawa kaya’t inasahan na ng boxing fans na magkakaroon sila ng rematch. Ngunit ‘di inasahan, maging ng mga boxing analyst, na mauuwi lang ito sa 2nd round TKO kay Donaire Jr. (VT ROMANO)
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