Honor roll: Donaire, Pacquiao's heir apparent?

MANILA, Philippines - It goes without saying that there will always be one Manny Pacquiao. But the clock is ticking for the beloved Filipino icon, who will go down in history as one of the greatest fighters to ever lace up a pair of gloves.

Among those trekking the trail Pacquiao blazed is Nonito Donaire Jr., the equally talented boxer born in Pacquiao’s hometown of General Santos City and raised in San Leandro, California. Possessing the same devastating combination of speed and power that Pacquiao had, Donaire has been touted by boxing pundits as a potential heir apparent to the Pacman.

Absurd? Think again. The kid’s everything Pacquiao is not when it comes to having a “science” in his fighting. Donaire’s switch-hitting, methodical style has enabled him to rack up 25 straight wins and netted him three titles in as many divisions (flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight).

Donaire’s masterful destruction of highly touted Mexican Fernando Montiel to wrest the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles in February was his coming-out party – one that catapulted him atop of the pound-for-pound rankings, just two or three slots behind Pacquiao. The same virtuoso performance had sparked talks that Pacquiao’s successor has arrived.

The highly eloquent Donaire also lived the same roller-coaster off-the-ring life Pacquiao had. There was the rift among his relatives, and the bitter dispute with his promoter Top Rank (resolved as of press time). Here’s to hoping those bumps would only make Donaire a better fighter as Pacquiao’s past troubles helped make him into a living legend that he is now.

Donaire being a Filipino-American won’t be an issue. He’s as Filipino as the rest of us are here. He fights as “The Filipino Flash,” and once donned yellow trunks in honor of the late president and democracy icon Cory Aquino.

At 28, Donaire is very much at his peak, and will even become better given his dynamic style. He is already a Filipino sports hero. A legend? He has all the time in the world to become one.