Donaire’s final punch — a gorgeous left hand thrown from his backstep — knocked senseless one of the lower weights’ toughest fighters.
Three defenses later, Donaire is ready to move up to 52.2kg and the challenges beyond, both in and out of the ring.
Donaire readily acknowledges feeling the immigrant’s familiar split between two worlds. He considers himself Filipino first, yet his life is mostly in the Bay Area. He has trained for previous fights in the Philippines, where his celebrity attracts constant attention, but he prepared for Concepcion in the comparative anonymity of San Carlos.
“This is my home,” he said, looking around the tidy gym. “I have a lot of friends out here. I feel at home here, but I’m proud to be Filipino. In the Philippines, it’s like every day is vacation.”
Donaire has formed friendships with the other two big names in Bay Area boxing: Oakland’s Andre Ward, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist, and Robert Guerrero, the former featherweight champion from Gilroy. He has trained in the East Bay hills with Ward, whose father sometimes slipped Donaire a few extra bucks.
Things aren’t as familial with Glenn Sr, who trains fighters in the Philippines.
Though Donaire no longer speaks to his father by phone or even text messages, he said they’re on good terms when they’re around each other: “My family is weird.”
After years of waiting, Donaire seemingly can’t slow down, even for his father. If he beats Concepcion, Donaire is determined to get fights with Fernando Montiel and Jorge Arce, the two biggest names at 52.2kg, before moving up, perhaps eventually to lightweight.
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