Donaire vs. Vasquez Jr.: A fan’s prediction

By Jimmy M: This is my first time writing an article. I am on my winter break and I made a commitment to myself that I would write a “blog” of my thoughts in the world of boxing. As we all know, Nonito Donaire will be fighting Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. on February 4, 2012. This could be either an entertaining fight or a lop sided boring one, if it can go pass the “feel-out” stage (my little saying for rounds 1-3 or 4).

Donaire, a quick, with decent power boxer, can fight on the outside and use his speed to keep his opponent at bay. Vasquez Jr., a relatively new member of the boxing world who can counter punch if his opponent misses and also slug it out on the inside if the situation arises. Both fighters have skills that they can use to their advantage. But how could this fight turn out?

Nonito is, in my opinion, the Paul Willams of the lower weight classes. Standing at 5’6”, Nonito Donaire is used to fighting opponents smaller than him. This is not to say that his size is the reason he is so good. It just means that he has adapted well to fighting smaller guys. Aside from his size, “The Filipino Flash”, has speed. Nonito is a lot faster than most (if not all) of his opponents. In his fight with Montiel, Donaire relied on his speed to win. Although, Montiel telegraphed most of his punches, it was Nonito’s quick reflex and speed that determined the outcome of the fight.

Wilfredo Vasquez Jr., son of the great Wilfredo Vasquez, is surprisingly a good fighter. At the age of 21, Vasquez jr., began training with his father. Despite his timing, Vasquez jr., quickly rose to the top. Vasquez has good reflex and can time his punches, which makes him a pretty good counter puncher. In the Hernandez fight, Vasquez Jr. was counter punching with hooks all night eventually winning by TKO. He can also slug it out as seen in his fight with Hernandez and Arce. Vasquez is also always focused. Even when being pressured, Vasquez is always in his stance and always determined.

Both of these fighters have their skills to rely on. But what really matters is who will use the skill to their fullest potential. Nonito Donaire and Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. are almost identical in size, according to Boxrec.com. Because of the size similarity, it should turn out to be an interesting fight. I don’t hear the “easy fight for Donaire” story here because he is not fighting someone smaller.

Donaire really has to think in this fight. Why? Well for one, Vasquez is a good counter puncher. Donaire, although fast, is open for counter punching. You can see in some of his fights, Donaire lunges in with his right hook. If “WV2” (Vasquez’s nickname) can counter quickly enough, he could take advantage of Donaire’s hooks, maybe with a quick right, hook. Vasquez is a fairly good inside fighter and this could be his tool to winning the fight. Vasquez needs to counter and work his way to the inside and not rely on his weak jab and keep constant pressure inside. Yeah, Vasquez lost by TKO, this doesn’t mean that he is overrated; it means he can stay cool. Throughout the fight, Vasquez stayed calm and collected. This “focus” skill can really help Vasquez and use it against Nonito. Nonito often loses focus and gets distracted if things aren’t going his way. Example, his last fight against Narvaez, Donaire was too busy trying to knock him out and consequently, had some moments where he was getting hit with some pretty good shots. Vasquez lack of distraction can prove distracting to Donaire if he comes in with the mindset that he will easily like he did in the Narvaez fight. Nonito will think that he isn’t doing enough to move Vasquez and lose focus in winning the fight.

Vasquez also has is flaws also. Vasquez does not do well when being pressured. Vasquez, against Arce showed that he can’t fight well against the ropes over a long period of time. Arce continued to pressure Vasquez throughout the fight, eventually wearing him down in the 11th round and beating him in the 12th. If Donaire can pressure Vasquez consistently, I think he can pull of a victory. Donaire, although not a constant pressure fighter, has the ability to do so. Because of his speed, Donaire can constantly put gloves in front of Vasquez’s face, blinding him with speed. The most important key for Donaire is his stance. Nonito is a southpaw, this could prove advantageous. The thing I admire about Vasquez is his technique. He is always in his stance and rarely off balance, his right hand as ear muffs. But this is where the problem for Vasquez lies. His right hand is always up. What about his left hand? Vasquez has a fairly weak and somewhat lazy jab and he seldom brings it up to his cheek. Donaire can feed off of this and throw his powerful right hook after every jab. If Donaire can use his speed and power he should be able to pull of this victory in possibly a KO fashion.

This fight is extremely important for both fighters. Wilfredo Vasquez Jr., coming off a TKO loss almost a year ago to a smaller opponent, has to redeem himself and prove he can make it against better fighters in the Bantamweight class. Nonito Donaire constantly being criticized for fighting smaller opponents has to prove that it’s not his size that wins fights, it’s his skills. These fighters have to pressure each other and can’t wait until one of them makes a move. Or else it could turn out to be a long night. Both of these fighters are counter punchers, so the person to shoot first and keep shooting is likely to win. Thanks for reading!

20 Responses to “Donaire vs. Vasquez Jr.: A fan’s prediction”