MAGAANG na tinanggap ni Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire ang pagkatalo kay Japanese Naoya “Monster” Inoue, Martes ng gabi sa Saitama, Japan.
Dalawang beses bumagsak ang 39-anyos na si Donaire, isa sa opening round, isa sa second, tungo sa technical knockout loss ng kanilang bantamweight unification rematch.
“It is what it is,” lahad ni Donaire, recipient ng 2011 Fighter of the Year at 2018 BWAA Good Guy Award. “I’m very grateful that I’m healthy.”
Idinagdag ni Inoue sa kanyang dalawang korona (WBA at IBF) ang WBC belt ni Donaire.
Inamin ni Donaire medyo nawala siya sa sarili nang matanggap ang suntok ni Inoue.
“When I got hit, I didn’t even know I got dropped,” pag-amin ni Donaire sa kanyang ‘Beyond the Ring’ with Nonito and Rachel YouTube channel. “I didn’t see that punch because I was trying to counter him and got caught. That was pretty much it. I will pretty much say that was the hardest punch I’ve ever been hit with. That first (knockdown), I came up completely blank. I didn’t see that punch coming at all.”
Dagdag ng future Hall of Famer: “I didn’t even know what happened. I was trying to counter.
All of a sudden I was on the floor and (referee Michael Griffin) was counting me. I was like ‘What is happening? Are you kidding me?’ Then I looked in the corner and Rachel Donaire, (Nonito’s wife/trainer/manager) said, ‘Put your hands up or he’ll count you out.’ And I’m like ‘Oh sh!t, I got dropped!'”
Ang resulta ng rematch ay malayo sa nangyari noong Nobyembre 2019, kung saan bagamat bumagsak si Donaire sa 11th round, binigyan niya ng pukpukang laban si Inoue. Katunayan, nagtamo ang Japanese champion ng duguang ilong at eye socket fracture bunga ng mga tinanggap na suntok sa Filipino fighter. Tinanghal ding “Fight of the Year” ang nasabing sagupaan.
Inamin din ni Donaire, hindi siya dapat sumabay kay Inoue, dahil ang fight plan ay gamitin ang kanyang jab upang hindi makalapit ang Hapon.
Subalit, mas nanaig sa kanya ang pagiging brawler.
“Brawlers gonna brawl. It’s part of me,” aniya.
Isang beses pa lamang nakalasap ng stoppage si Donaire sa kanyang 48 fights, nang matalo noong 2014 sa kamay nang noo’y unbeaten Nicholas Walters sa kanilang WBA featherweight title fight.
Matapos matalo sa unang laban kay Inoue (2019), nagpatuloy si Donaire sa kanyang karera at May 29, 2021, muli siyang tinanghal na world champion (WBC), nang magtala ng fourth-round knockout kay unbeaten Nordine Oubaali. Naidepensa niya ang korona nang talunin ang kababayang si Reymart Gaballo noong Disyembre.
Hindi naman binanggit ni Donaire ang plano sa kanyang karera.
Sa panig ni Inoue, inihayag nito ang pagnanais maging undisputed champion at mangyayari lamang iyon kung lalabanan at tatalunin niya si WBO champion Paul Butler. Na kung hindi aniya magaganap, posibleng umakyat na siya ng timbang. (VT ROMANO)
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