Lost opportunity
Then, just a few days into the celebration, the roof caved in
There was no way the planned Nonito Donaire vs John Riel Casimero would have bombed at the box office.
It had all the trappings of a Fight of the Year candidate all over it.
Imagine the resurrected Donaire, the first fighter to give Naoya Inoue a taste of hell, taking on a brash fellow world bantamweight champion who is aching to prove to everyone he rightfully belongs on the mythical pound-for-pound list.
When it was first announced, I swear I felt so excited that I dreamt about the two boxers for consecutive days.
It was such a terrific encounter that people were talking about it and local fight experts were in unison that they were drooling over the mouthwatering matchup as if it’s a juicy slab of meat grilled in an open fire.
Then, just a few days into the celebration, the roof caved in. Donaire first threatened to pull out, claiming that Casimero’s camp had been dishonest and disrespectful of himself, his team and his family. Verbal jabs were thrown and exchanged. Then there was a brief silence. Then came the development everyone had all feared. I was among those who wound up heartbroken when it was decided that Donaire would no longer get it on and Casimero would take on original foe Guillermo Rigondeaux on 14 August.
Mind you, the Rigondeaux is not a bad fight.
The Cuban is a solid opponent who has sterling credentials.
This should be enough to satisfy our insatiable appetite for premium prizefighting.
But it certainly doesn’t compare to a Donaire clash since it will involve two 118-lb straps — Donaire’s World Boxing Council plum and Casimero’s World Boxing Organization’s title.
Still, it doesn’t necessarily mean the two are no longer on a collision course.
If Casimero clears Rigondeaux, I was told that Casimero, who had expressed no doubt about winning soundly against Donaire, would call him out so they could settle their unfinished business. That is, if Donaire still doesn’t have a confirmed fight date. But the speculation is that the reason why Donaire pulled out is because he deemed the Casimero match too risky.
A little bird also told me that negotiations are already underway for Donaire to get a rematch with Inoue, who is coming off a brutal knockout win over Filipino mandatory challenger Michael Dasmariñas.
So, don’t sulk fight fans. There is still hope that Donaire and Casimero would eventually share the ring.
Besides, the month of August promises to be a fistic treat for all of us with Manny Pacquiao returning to action the week after the Casimero-Rigondeaux duel.
This should be enough to satisfy our insatiable appetite for premium prizefighting.
Perhaps, the Donaire-Casimero clash needs more time marinating.