MANILA, Philippines – Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire apologized to boxing fans after his match against Argentina's Omar Narvaez at the Theater in Madison Square Garden failed to live up to the hype.

Donaire promised to put on a show and display his skills, but Narvaez proved to be an unwilling dance partner as the Argentine boxer was in defensive mode throughout the bout and barely engaged Donaire.

"It was unfortunate for the fans and I apologize for that, but from my heart, I did my best. I was definitely frustrated," Donaire said.

"It's not about me, it's about the fans who got robbed tonight," Donaire also posted on his official Facebook fan page.

Donaire criticized Narvaez for throwing only 24 punches per round. "Really? How is that boxing when you don't punch?" he said.

According to Michael Woods of ESPN's New York Fight Blog, the average bantamweight fighter throws about 60 punches per round.

"(Narvaez) landed just six punches - six - a round," said Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix. "(That is) an impossibly low number that indicated that he was... in survival mode."

"I'm disappointed for my fans, and I appreciate them and I feel bad for them," Donaire added.

Pressured

Ryan Songalia of the Boxing Writers Association of America said that Donaire must have felt the pressure to perform.

"Nonito had a lot of pressure on him to perform and show people what kind of boxing superstar he is. He's coming off a lot of impressive knockouts," he said.

Narvaez, on the other hand, came only to survive.

"Narvaez came all the way from Argentina, a great fighter, well-revered in his country, but he came here for one purpose only, and that was to survive and not be knocked out," Songalia said. "I think Narvaez knew that if he opened up at all, he was gonna get hurt."

Donaire's wife, Rachel, is disappointed, saying Narvaez did not do his part to make the fight exciting.

"Both fighters need to make it exciting for the fans... I wouldn't even call him a fighter, I don't know what to call him," she said.

Rachel added that Donaire wanted to bring boxing back on a positive note, especially after two high-profile main events became controversial - Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s "legal sucker punch" of Victor Ortiz last September and more recently, Bernard Hopkins 2nd round technical knockout loss against Chad Dawson.

Embarrassed

"First time ko dito sa East Coast, ang daming pumunta. Napahiya lang ako kasi ayaw n'ya talaga eh," Donaire said after the fight.

Over 4,000 fans filled the Theater, but most of them were booing by the later rounds as the fight lacked any sort of action. Some fans headed for the exits even before the fight was over, according to ESPN's Dan Rafael.

Donaire said he was looking for a knockout victory and was willing to get hit if it meant he could land his punches in turn.

"All I did was open myself up. I thought that was more than enough for him to open up and throw punches, but he didn't even throw a hook," Donaire said.

Donaire did give Narvaez his first career loss, but it was the only consolation for "The Filipino Flash" who had wanted to put on a show.

He now plans to move up to the 122-pound division and pursue a bout against Jorge Arce or Toshiaki Nishioka. -- With a report from Don Tagala, ABS-CBN News North America