Nonito Donnaire Jr Interview

[WelshDevilRob]

Nonito Donnaire Jr Interview by Dennis "dSource" Guillermo

 

"One thing that I am, and one thing that my dad always taught me is, you got to respect everybody." -- Nonito Donaire Jr.

 

In an alternate reality, Nonito Donaire Jr. might've been an actor, an entertainer or some kind of performer. I guess, it still makes sense, because boxing after all is also another form of entertainment.

 

But if you got a chance to know the real Nonito Donaire Jr., you might be surprised with what you'll find out.

 

When I first saw him burst in the boxing scene, my first impression of him wasn't any different than what a lot of Filipino fight fans thought of him. He was different. He was outspoken and it was easy to misinterpret his self-confidence. You got to understand, during that time, the Philippines was all about one man-- need I say his name? Well if you haven't gotten a clue, I'll tell you it's not Hayden Kho.

 

Nonito however is far from the guy a lot of people misconceive him to be. He is actually a genuine, kind-hearted fellow who pretty much is a typical 20 something-year old Filipino.

 

He's a happy-go-lucky guy, jokes around all the time and always generous and accommodating. If you see him anywhere in person, I advise you to say hi to him and find out what I mean.

 

With only a month to go before his next fight, I figured to give Nonito a call and try to get him to speak more on his human side. We all know that he's a ferocious competitor and highly skilled boxer, but what a lot of people do not know about Ring Magazine's #6 ranked pound for pound fighter is that outside the boxing ring, you would probably be hard-pressed to find anyone more charismatic.

 

Nonito also has a very soft spot in his heart for his country. Imagine this. When President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo handed him a check for a million pesos (around $25,000) as his prize money for winning his last bout, Nonito opted to give all of the money to charity. You got to understand, as good as Nonito is and as much as he has accomplished in boxing at such a young age, he does not make anywhere near Pacquiao money. And you know this kid just gets it. He does a lot of charity work that aren't made public.

 

It's really hard to differentiate the fighter in him who will be stepping back in the ring on February 13 against Gerson Guerrero as the headliner of Pinoy Power 3 from the normal, cool guy that's easy to get along with if you haven't met him in person.

 

Find out more about the 'real' Nonito in this interview I posted below:

 

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dSource - Give me one word that first comes to mind when you think about Manny Pacquiao.

 

Nonito - "Inspiring. He inspired me to keep going. There are days when I tell myself, 'Ah, I'd rather go to school because it's hard." Boxing is hard. People don't understand how hard this is,"

 

"To see him-- the way he trains and the way he just goes in there -- is inspiring for me. Also the way he has done what other people haven't is inspiring for me."

 

dSource - Describe your dad.

 

Nonito - "I love my dad,"

 

"My personality is taken from what I see in him. He wants to be the best that's what makes me think all the time that I can do it too. I think he's a great coach. Really, really great. He's a very smart coach. Every thing he has learned, he has learned for himself and he's one of the top trainers in the world right now," "He has that eye to see things,"

 

dSource - And you're his best work. That right there shows how great of a coach he is- what he's done for you.

 

Nonito - "Yea, the guys that I'm with right now, they're polishing what I learned from my dad,"

 

"And hopefully we'll eye-to-eye again one way or another"

 

dSource - One word to describe your wife?

 

Nonito - "There's so many words to describe my wife. She does so much for me. I love her with all my heart! That doesn't describe every thing she's done for me,"

 

"Every morning she wakes up at 5 o'clock or 5:30 to pick up the guys (sparring partners, trainers), from across the town bring them over here. She drops them off every day, that routine. Pick them up from the gym, back and forth, back and forth, and she's done that all throughout this camp. She's done so much for me so I'm really thankful. She's such a blessing."