THE match may have not ended the way he wanted it to, but it was a victory nonetheless.
Fil-Am boxer Nonito Donaire Jr., scored another victory for his kababayans when he won against South African Simpiwe Vetyeka at the Venetian Resort’s Cotai Arena in Macau on June 1.
Donaire took home an improved record of 33 wins, 2 losses and 21 knockouts. He is now also a five-division champion, after snatching the WBA featherweight title from Vetyeka.
The “Filipino Flash” was not too giddy on his recent victory after its anticlimactic conclusion in the fifth round.
At the close of the opening round, Donaire suffered a huge cut over his left eye after an accidental head butt with Vetyeka.
“When I got head-butted I was really out of it, I didn’t know what the hell was going on. There was nothing else that I could do. I was at the biggest disadvantage,” Donaire recounted.
But Donaire was confident when he set foot on the ring. He trained hard to bring another glorious victory to his countrymen, just like his recent one in November last year, when he knocked down American pugilist Vic Darchinyan.
“I can still fight. I wanna keep going. I wanted to give the fans a best fight, and I was already halfway there,” Donaire recalled.
He was so determined that even after the headbutt incident, he pushed on through on the next rounds. Donaire even sent Vetyeka reeling to the ropes in the third round.
“Quitting is not in my vocabulary. Even if I didn’t know what was going on, I wasn’t going to quit and have the fight stopped because I was doing it for the fans,” he said.
By the beginning of the fifth round, Donaire was still bleeding heavily because of the nasty gash. Blood and medicine kept getting into his eye, causing his vision to be impaired. Referee Luis Pabon immediately halted the intense bout.
Under WBA rules, the decision will be based on the scorecards after four rounds, in case of an accidental head butt. The judges scored the fight 49-46 in favor of Donaire.
Instead of celebrating his victory with the adoring crowd, Donaire apologized instead to his audience and supporters “for not giving them [the audience] a proper fight.”
Gracious in defeat, Vetyeka congratulated Donaire for win. He dismissed allegations that the headbutt in the first round was intentional. Vetyeka admitted that he, too, was disappointed on how the fight concluded.
Malacañãng recognized Donaire’s determination, saying his victory showed the Filipinos’ indomitable spirit to rise above any challenge.
“Kaisa po tayo ng buong sambayanan sa pagdiriwang at pagtanghal sa tagumpay ni Nonito ‘the Flash’ Donaire at sa kanyang pagkamit ng bagong kampeonato sa larangan ng boxing,” Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.
Vice President Jejomar Binay agreed. He said that Donaire has proven that he is the better fighter, based on the unanimous decision made by the judges.
“I admire his sportsmanship and sense of fairness and I hope that his latest victory will serve as yet another inspiration to all Filipino athletes,” Binay said.
Indeed, more than winning, Filipinos celebrate Donaire for prevailing, despite the setbacks. He may have not reached his goal of a knockout win, but his fight will be remembered because of his dedication and desire to win.
(AJPress)
