Top Rank is taking steps to ensure that the travesty that was Nonito Donaire versus Omar Narvaez will not happen again. A ton of blame went their way because of the horrible fight and it is good to know that they are taking steps to prevent the same thing from happening.
Their solution is to promise a 100,000 dollar on Donaire’s head and, truth be told, they should do the same for Manny Pacquiao. Because Pacquiao and Donaire are known for their devastating power, some of their opponents choose to not fight back as an act of self-preservation. If they fight back, chances are they will get beaten to a bloody pulp and lose. If they choose not to fight back, they will still lose but they skip through that nasty business of getting beaten to a bloody pulp bit, which also means they will enjoy their purse better after the fight.
Freddie Roach has employed the same tactic for Pacquiao’s sparring sessions. He always has 1,000 dollars in his pocket, ready to give it away to anyone who would knock Pacquiao down. It is a good amount of money and Pacquiao’s sparring partners have all tried extra hard to push him harder for a shot at the money.
It seems to be a band-aid fix as the best solution is still to choose only those fighters who will now stop fighting but this will have to do for Donaire right now. It’s a good PR move from Top Rank’s part as it will at least show the pissed off fans that they are doing something to rectify the error.
Donaire who was quoted saying that he was bored during the fight had positive things to say about the bounty. “(I’m) excited about the future matchups considering the $100k bounty on my head. Great to be working on the same path as Top Rank Boxing," he said.
Another reason for him to be happy is that he’ll have the equal opportunity to get the money. The 100,000 dollars will be a “win" bonus, meaning the winner will get the money on top of the guaranteed purse. This is currently being done in the UFC and its’ not clear yet if a knockout is required to get the bonus.
Now that Top Rank and Donaire are moving on from the embarrassing event last week, they are looking at three possible opponents for Donaire’s debut at 122. The always entertaining WBO junior featherweight beltholder Jorge Arce (58-6-1, 44 KOs), WBC super bantamweight titleholder Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs), and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (20-1-1, 17 KOs) are all viable opponents.
Arce seems like the most logical pick as the world knows he does not stop punching. It will be a very good comeback and it will surely wash away the bad taste that Narvaez left. He is signed with Top Rank and the fight will be very easy to make.
Vasquez is also a possible opponent. Although he lost to Arce, he still is a threat in the super bantamweight division. He is scheduled for a comeback fight and if he wins that convincingly, it may convince Top Rank to book him as Donaire’s debut at 122.
However, a fight against Nishioka, who’s coming of the biggest win of his career by beating Rafael Marquez, is the better match-up. The Japanese champion is a lanky fighter and is as tall as Donaire. If Donaire wants to make a statement, he should go for the current top dog of the division.
The Narvaez fight was supposed to signal Donaire’s emergence as one of the very best in the sport but an unwilling opponent prevented it from happening. If Donaire still wants to stake his claim as one of the best, he should do away fight tune-up fights to get himself acclimated to the super bantamweight division. - OMG, GMA News
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