Hollywood and the Donaires

The elegant eight-page hard bound pamphlet-size wedding invitation is entitled, “How Does One Find True Love”? The RSVP card says the attire is “Hollywood premiere themed reception; strictly black suit for men; red or black long gown “.

In keeping with the theme, the first page of the invitation has reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) Nonito (Jun) Donaire and the former Rachel Marcial posing a la Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who starred in the move in the “Mr and Mrs Smith”, playing the characters John Smith and Jane Smith, respectively. Succeeding pages show the Donaires in varying Hollywood movie posters, among them, “Bonnie and Clyde” with a quote from the movie ,“You made me somebody they’re gonna remember” and the Titanic featuring one of the movie’s most memorable lines: “Winning that ticket (boarding pass), was the best thing that ever happened to me. It brought me to you.”

The last page has the details of the invitation stated in a romantic way: “For in everything, there is a perfect time, a reason, a chance. It is in great joy that we Nonito and Rachel invite you to celebrate with us as we continue our own happily ever after on Friday the 11th of November 2011 at Fernbrook Gardens, Daang Reyna, Las Piñas.”

Over dinner at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club last Sunday, Donaire discussed topics ranging from his last fight with Omar Narvaez; the possible outcome of the Pacquiao-Marquez bout; family life; his love for kids; his admiration for his trainer Roberto Garcia; possible opponents; how his fists are now less prone to injury because of fighting in a heavier division and, of course, his and Rachel’s forthcoming Catholic church wedding.

After dinner, Donaire gave 10-year old, Basti Madrilejo (son of Peter and Karina Madrilejo) some practical pointers on boxing with the young Madrilejo donning white boxing gloves for the impromptu clinic, gamely posed with the Via Mare waiters and cooks and had wacky photos taken of him with drivers and security people.

With Donaire during the dinner were family members and friends from California which included parents-in-law Gerardo and Rebecca Marcial; sister-in-law, Nicole; writer Dennis “DSource” Guillermo; Javoun Smith; Brian Singer; Gilbert Martinez; Sabrina Murphy and Ami Aria.

 Donaire looks forward to a bout either in January or February 2012, and this time, Donaire says he will be more prepared and in better shape since he will not suffer from the same eight-month long layoff he had prior to the unforgettable Narvaez fight, “I came down from 145 to 118 pounds and by the eighth round I felt my legs cramping. Right now, my walking weight is 130 pounds and I will have no problem making the featherweight limit of 126 pounds.”

At 126 pounds, Donaire believes that there will be less pressure on his knuckles which have been his so-called “Achilles heel”, “At featherweight, there is more water and blood running through my fists and they are therefore stronger unlike when I fought at lower weights.”

Among the possible opponents of Donaire, no one seems to be more feared and formidable than Cuba’s Yuriorkis Gamboa. In the great tradition of Cuban Olympic boxing, Gamboa, won the gold medal in the flyweight division in the 2004 Athens Olympics, one other gold, one silver and two bronze medals in the world amateur championships, Pan American Games, Central American and Caribbean Games and the World Cup.

With an immaculate record of 21-0-0, 16 KOs, Gamboa, a four-time Cuban national champion, once held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight titles. Gamboa, who has never fought a Filipino, won his first professional fight on April 27, 2007 in Hamburg, Germany over Aleyan Manvelyan. Since that time, Gamboa has fought in Turkey and in New Jersey, Las Vegas, New York, California and Florida. Associated Content reports that while training in Venezuela, Gamboa and two teammates, sneaked out of camp and found their way to Colombia and eventually to Germany. Before defecting, he had sold his Olympic gold medal to support his family.

The second opponent Donaire has his sights on is Juanma Lopez. The Puerto Rican-born Lopez, who is now an American citizen, had 30 straight wins, including those over Filipinos Gerry Peñalosa and Bernabe Concepcion, until April 16, 2011 when he lost by TKO to Mexico’s Orlando Salido (who lost by unanimous decision to Gamboa on September 11, 2010). Lopez, who visited the Philippines once, was once considered invincible until a seemingly brittle jaw, gave him away.

Two other possible opponents are 35-year old Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs) of Japan and, of course, the durable, 32-year old Jorge Arce of Mexico who has a record of 57-6-2, 44 KOs.