Dear Floyd Mayweather, Ditch The Gambling, And Do What You Say You Do The Best...Box! -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

Dear Floyd Mayweather:

Hope you had a fine birthday on Thursday.

34.

Wow.

Hope you don't mind me saying, that's sort of old for a boxer. Even an ultra special one like you.

Hey, I'm 41, I mean no offense. But I'm in a business, where in theory at least, I get better as I get older. Makes sense..with age often comes wisdom, or at least, accrued experience and knowledge.

But as I get older, Floyd, I realize that the adage "with age comes wisdom" is flawed. That isn't the case much of the time. I know too many elders who by virtue of their years, should be rivaling Confucius with their wisdom. Yet they cling to antiquated notions, dispelled myths, tired ways. It saddens me when I see this nation and its citizens pursuing paths that bring them farther away from peace, serenity, happiness, and instead see people seeking to enrich themselves by acquiring, and earning their way to the promised land.

Hey, I'm no commie, Floyd. I see the bright side to the capitalist system, but as currently practiced, with the kingpins on Wall Street calling the shots in DC, our nation has by and large gone off the rails. We bail out the racketeers who boldly, without thought of the welfare of any but themselves, engineered schemes to enrich their bottom lines with a zealousness for excess that rivals Charlie Sheen. And though the crews at Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, Citi etc all engaged in book-keeping tricks which should land their shifty showrunners in prison, all have gotten off scot-free, and continue to engage in their systematic campaign to pillage, plunder, cheat and loot every dollar bill that isn't nailed down. Yes, the smart ones in those outfits knew damn well that they were selling oregano to dopey buyers, but shrugged off the shifty deals with a shrug of the shoulders, a reference to "caveat emptor" and a quote from Ayn Rand. Even if their conduct doesn't meet the definition of felony, at the very least, their ethical and moral boundaries have been proven to be wickedly off kilter, or absent.

Oops, sorry for the digression Floyd. I do have a point to my rant...and it does involve you.

I've been following your arc for years now. And I have to say, by this point in your life, I figured that you would have "got it." I would have figured that you would have wised up. Floyd, you may well be the most talented pugilist of this, and maybe a few other generations. (I use the word "pugilist" deliberately, as in my mind, there is a clear difference between a "pugilist," who engages in combat in a manner which the term "sweet science" is applicable, and "fighter," who brings a whole different set of traits, mostly of character, to the table.") But Floyd, on a daily basis, you fritter away your claim to greatness.

I'm not sure what you did for your birthday on Thursday, but judging by your social media output, I'm guessing it involved no boxing, or training. There was probably gambling involved, though, and I must put it out there, this gambling jones of yours worries me.

Hey, you might be saying aloud right now, I don't need you to worry about me, Woods. I got my stacks, Jack. What you got?

Well, I have some insight into human nature, especially in the area of addiction. I had a much misspent youth, when I went down paths in search of happiness, and serenity and fun, paths which proved to be hardcore dead ends. And to be frank, I see in you--and forgive me if I misread you and your situation, I am admittedly taking stock from afar--some really, really troubling behavior.

I'm not even talking about the brushes with the law, the fights with the security guards and the mother of your kids. Those are well documented, if slightly glossed over by enablers and fightwrite media who don't want to rock the boat of access.

I'm referring to the gambling.

Many of us became aware of your fondness for rolling the dice when in April 2010's Mayweather-Mosley 24/7, we saw you referring to winning $30,000 betting on basketball.

Back in December 2009, you admitted that you'd lost, as well.

“Two weeks ago I won like a million (dollars),” said Mayweather to Joe Buck on his HBO show, “that was across a week of games, Monday night, Sunday, and Thursday. I didn’t lose a million (this week), but I lost a couple hundred thousand.”

Lately, you've taken to putting snapshots of his winning tickets on Twitter. Your followers see your winning ticket from the Feb. 10 Mavericks-Nuggets game, on which you won $45,000-plus, after wagering $50Gs.

"Why would I ever show a losing ticket when I'm 41-0," you wrote after a follower asked you about those bets that you lost.

Now, what you do on your own time is your business. Of course, you are a public figure, so your conduct is fair game for folks like me to assess and comment upon. Especially considering you are the man who purports to be the greatest of all time. Remember when you said, "In my era, it's totally different. It's pay per view now, so things change. It's out with the old and in with the new. Like I said, Muhammad Ali is one hell of a fighter. But Floyd Mayweather is the best. Sugar Ray Robinson is one hell of a fighter. But Floyd Mayweather is the best."

That may be so. I don't personally think so, but Floyd, you'd better make your case for your fabulousness if you spent more time boxing, and less time bragging about your gambling prowess.

Floyd, it may be cool in the circles you run in, but the "I'm an ace gambler, look at the piles of loot I won because I guessed which basketball team would win their game" thing really doesn't resonate with most of us. I'm not Dr. Drew, but having spent a fair amount of time delving into the nature of addiction, whether it be to drugs, booze, food, or gambling on basketball games , it looks like maybe you are trying to fill a void, and flood your brain with happiness chemicals thru gambling. I get it...it's a thrill when you win. But the pleasure is short lived, and you are on a never-ending treadmill following that high. You fool no one, except perhaps some impressionable kids who are entranced by your blingy existence, and your boasts that you never lose gambling. Everyone does. Everyone. You are a special boxer, Floyd, but in the gambling realm you are one of a billion. You win some big, and you lose more, but you just don't brag about the bum picks.

That bragging, and that throwing money up in public places and watching the ham 'n eggers dive for bills, and the flashing of the wads of bills, and the birthday cake in the form of a stack of greenbacks, it all makes me sad. You could be doing what you do best, and try to bolster your legacy by making that Manny Pacquiao fight happen, but instead you are posturing, and trying to make an impression on people with your supposed fortune. While Pacquiao sends a message with his service, as a Congressman in the Philippines and his desire to lift up the impoverished in his nation, you advertise your net worth. And the kids eat that up. Just like they eat up the lifestyle of the Wall Streeters who brought our country to the economic brink, and then needed taxpayer money to get bailed out, so they can rinse and repeat, and start up the whole greedy exercise again.

Floyd, you could be an antidote. There is still time. Ditch the easy thrills of the gambling and nightlife. This country is in a major league state of unease. You might have heard about the issues in Wisconsin. The Governor there wants to abolish the right of public sector union members to bargain as a collective. He says his state's budget is in the dumps, and that teachers, cops, firefighters should sacrifice for the cause. He suggested this right after he handed WI corporations a sweet tax break, despite the fact that 2/3 of them pay no taxes. It is time for leaders, in all walks of life, to fight for regular folks. Floyd, I'm not asking you to run for Governor, or Congress. But I see you, and what you could be, and I get bummed out.

I realize this could all come off as a self righteous rant. But as I said before, I've been no angel. I think I sort of get where you are coming from, believe it or not. But I also get where you are capable of going, and root for you to get there. Put the kibosh on the gambling, and the partying with the posse, and the silly nickname; that stuff is fun, but what it feeds you is false. Those are momentary thrills, lacking in substance. You are capable of much, much more.

Good luck.

Sincerely,

Michael Woods
Editor, TheSweetScience.com

FOLLOW Woods on Twitter @Woodsy1069

Source: thesweetscience.com

Featherweight Challenger and Undefeated Super Middleweight on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights

Boxing News World

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights will originate from Tulsa, Okla. on February 25 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 with a 10-round main event featuring featherweight contender Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos (25-1, 18 KO’s, WBC #4), battling Frankie Archuleta (27-7-1, 14 KO’s). Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas will be ringside at the Osega Million Dollar Elm Casino describing the action.

Mexico’s Burgos, is coming off his first loss, a November title shot against WBC featherweight champ Hozumi Hasegawa, considered by many to be one of Japan’s best fighters of the last decade. ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael wrote, “They produced a surprisingly outstanding fight, battling tooth and nail as both men had big moments. Hasegawa led early, but Burgos mounted a comeback and staggered Hasegawa with a left uppercut in the seventh round, just one of several rounds that featured tons of furious punching and back and forth action. Burgos relentlessly pressured Hasegawa over the final four rounds and had him in trouble, but Hasegawa hung on for the unanimous decision.”

In June, Burgos TKO’d Ricardo Castillo, the younger brother of former world champion Jose Luis Castillo.

Friday’s card will also feature an 8-round bout between undefeated super middleweight Maxim Vlasov (19-0, 10 KO’s) and South Africa’s Isaac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (15-1-1, 8 KO’s). Russia’s Vlasov is coming off a September seventh-round TKO win over Mikhail Krinstin. In his previous fight, he scored one of his career-best wins- a third round TKO against Jerson Ravelo on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights in June.

“Vlasov was imposing himself on Ravelo through the first two rounds and then put him away with a massive right hand in the third round,” ESPN.com’s Rafael reported. “The blow landed flush and stopped Ravelo in his tracks before he fell face first with his arms draped over the bottom ring rope.”

Friday’s show will also feature Ring Magazine’s #1 ranked light heavyweight and future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins in studio with host Brian Kenny. Hopkins will discuss his upcoming rematch with Ring Magazine’s light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, with whom he fought a controversial majority draw in December. Hopkins, age 46, will attempt to become the oldest fighter ever to win a significant title (besting George Foreman who beat Michael Moorer for the heavyweight title at age 45).

Media Contact: Stephen McDonald (860) 766-0523; stephen.mcdonald@espn.com

Floyd Mayweather JR Vs Manny Pacquiao: The Shocking Reason it Did Not Happen -- Ringside Report

By Geno McGahee, Ringside Report

It was the fight that we all wanted to see and that many of us still do, but failed negotiations on two separate occasions sent the fighters in different directions. Floyd Mayweather, JR., 41-0, 25 KO’s, would face Shane Mosley and then, presumably, retire from the sport, while Manny Pacquiao, 52-3-2, 38 KO’s, would take on Joshua Clottey. Hope would arise after the victory over Margarito, but Floyd didn’t come knocking and RSR may have been informed as to why.

On Monday, February 21st, we received an email from a boxer that wishes to remain anonymous but claimed to have had a discussion with Floyd Mayweather, JR., during the preparation for Mosley. Here is part of the email:

“…and we spoke about Pacquiao and he (Floyd) said that he was not even thinking about him. Then he said that he would fight him on his own terms only and that he needed him to ‘calm down’ a little. He was worried about Manny’s speed.”

RSR attempted to arrange an interview with the man making these claims but it was declined, so it is up for debate as to whether or not this statement was made by Floyd. The man that has contacted RSR has stood by the statement and we hope in the future to be able to reveal his identity and get him to sit down and speak more thoroughly about the situation.

The Pacquiao fans have stated for a long time that Floyd was afraid of Manny Pacquiao, which is met typically by skepticism by the Mayweather fans, but his behavior may lend that theory some validity, and the way to beat Floyd is smart aggression and speed, both of which Manny has.

It makes a lot of sense that Floyd would feel this way, if what we were told was true. Zab Judah, a speedy and powerful southpaw gave Floyd the most trouble he’s ever had and Floyd only won that fight because of the lack of focus of his challenger. Zab could never maintain his focus and Floyd was able to get him down the stretch. Pacquiao would not tire, or at least not nearly as much as Zab did, which means that there may not be enough time for Floyd to catch up if they should fight.

On May 7th, Manny Pacquiao will face Shane Mosley in a pay per view where the result isn’t really in doubt. Mosley is far too old and slow on the comeback to stop a near prime Pacquiao. Floyd Mayweather, JR., is retired. He will not fight Manny and will not fight Sergio Martinez. Whether it is because of fear or his life’s turmoil, we don’t know, but whatever the case may be, he is not lacing up the gloves.

The super fight that never was is a headline we may see ten years from now, unless Floyd comes forward and Pacquiao remains in the game. It’s a long shot, but let’s be optimistic and hope for the fight to materialize.

Source: ringsidereport.com

Hatton roars back at critics of title shot -- ESPN

ESPN

Matthew Hatton has hit out at his critics by insisting he is fully deserving of a WBC light-middleweight title shot.

The European welterweight champion will fight Saul Alvarez in California on March 5 in a clash that was lifted to world title status after Manny Pacquiao decided to vacate the belt.

The promotion of the bout has been the source of controversy, with Hatton and Alvarez boasting just one fight at light-middleweight between them - when the Brit fought Rob Burton at national level in 2004.

But Hatton, the younger brother of legend Ricky, has rejected accusations that boxing politics have come into play. "I've not been involved in all that and I took the fight before it was for a world title because it's a great opportunity," he said. "My bravery in taking a fight like this at a weight up has been rewarded."

Alvarez promises to present a stiff test to Hatton, having amassed a 36-fight unbeaten record as a pro - despite being just 20 years old.

Source: espn.co.uk

Arum has starring role in making of Pacquiao-Mosley fight -- Philly Daily News

By Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News

THE BEATLE and the Godfather were very much evident during a four-city media tour earlier this month, hyping a pay-per-view boxing event that the world might consider a consolation prize, but likely will purchase with gusto because more attractive options are not yet available.
The "Beatle" is Manny Pacquiao, the most popular, or at least recognizable, fighter on a global scale since Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali commanded attention that transcended their sport. During stops in Beverly Hills, Calif., Las Vegas, New York and Washington that officially began the drumbeating for his May 7 bout with Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, Pacquiao modeled a new look, a shaggy, unbarbered noggin that apparently was inspired by the Fab Four's hysteria-inducing first trip to America 47 years earlier.

An aspiring singer who loves karaoke, Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) more closely resembled an Asian Paul McCartney than Ali, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard or Oscar De La Hoya, iconic fighters to whom he sometimes has been compared. Maybe we should start calling him the Fab Filipino.
And while the 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) was on the dais in each city as the designated foil, the most influential player in the behind-the-scenes drama is the "Godfather," otherwise known as Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum.

Make no mistake, what will transpire 2 1/2 months hence is as much or more Arum's baby as Pacquiao's latest superstar turn. What Arum has orchestrated is reminiscent of the closing scenes of the 1972 film classic, in which Michael Corleone ruthlessly and efficiently settles all family business, dispatching the other heads of the five families, getting his revenge and establishing his vision of dynasty.

Oh, sure, the matchup everyone most wants to see, Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0, 25 KOs), has encountered more delays than the legendarily drawn-out construction of the Blue Route, so much so that fewer and fewer fight fans believe it will ever happen. But for that hardy and vanishing breed known as boxing purists, scraps with Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs), who is 0-1-1 in a pair of closely contested slugfests with Pacquiao, or WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KOs) probably would have been preferable to the finest fighter of his era thumping Mosley, a future Hall of Famer whose best days are in his rearview mirror.

Although Pacquiao isn't fearful of testing himself against any man wearing padded gloves, and probably could have forced Arum's hand had he insisted on Marquez or Berto, he has ceded near-total control of his ring career to the 79-year-old master manipulator. Like the youngest and most calculating of Vito Corleone's three sons, Arum knows how to protect his primary asset, and has no objection to sticking it to rivals to accomplish that purpose.

What's different about Pacquiao-Mosley is that Arum has brokered a deal by which an over-the-air television network, CBS, has joined with Showtime to sell boxing's hottest property to home viewers at $54.95 a pop. Given that Pacquiao's last five pay-per-view fights - all on HBO - generated total sales of 5.1 million, it's a certainty his pairing with Mosley again will top the million mark, and may even approach 2 million.

The CBS Corp. and Showtime, which is a CBS subsidiary, are co-producing a four-part documentary, "Fight Camp 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosley," and ads promoting the fight will be shown via both outlets. That figures to provide a major revenue boost, since CBS - which will air some of the spots during the ratings-heavy NCAA Tournament - is available in 115 million TV homes, to just 16.5 million for Showtime.

"I would want for nothing more than for my legacy to be that I brought boxing back to network television," said Arum, who has championed that cause since over-the-air TV fights began being phased out nearly 3 decades ago.

But Arum's altruistic pronouncements also are in keeping with a personal agenda. A former Department of Justice attorney during the Kennedy administration, Arum can make life as uncomfortable for perceived boxing enemies as his DOJ boss, Robert Kennedy, did for Jimmy Hoffa.

The onetime promoter of De La Hoya and Mayweather, Arum regards each as turncoats who bolted the Top Rank reservation after he had helped make them multimillionaires. Arum believes that HBO has tended to favor De La Hoya's company, Golden Boy Promotions, which might explain why he seems to have taken particular delight in bringing Pacquiao to Showtime, or why Mosley, who left Golden Boy to further his chances of landing the high-paying gig against Pacquiao, was selected instead of the De La Hoya-backed Marquez.

It's a cream pie in the face to HBO Sports executives, one of whom, senior vice president Kery Davis, is said to be under fire for not minding the store a little closer during a period in which the gap between HBO's Hertz and Showtime's Avis narrowed.

"It's a one-fight deal, and we're hopeful we can get back in the Manny Pacquiao business," HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said of the new reality in which Arum and his stepson, Top Rank president Todd duBoef, likely get to call more of the shots so long as "PacMan" remains boxing's must-see performer.

'Swift' salute

Tardy congratulations to the winners of the 15th annual "Salute to Philly Boxers" awards presentation last month at the New Palladium Ballroom.

Danny "Swift'' Garcia (19-0, 13 KOs), the junior welterweight prospect from the Juniata section, was named Philadelphia's Boxer of the Year for 2010, ending the 2-year reign of living legend Bernard Hopkins, a seven-time winner.

Other honorees were Alan Rubenstein, judge; Steve Smoger, referee; Derek "Bozy" Ennis, trainer; Moz Gonzalez and Eddie Woods, managers; Joey Eye, cutman; and Nate "Mr." Miller, "Blast from the Past." Special guests were Willie Torres and Marty Feldman.

Send e-mail to fernanb@phillynews.com.

Source: philly.com

Antonio Margarito on His Recovery, Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

LAS VEGAS -- Ex-champ Antonio Margarito, who underwent 75 minutes of surgery to repair a fractured right orbital bone suffered during November's HBO pay per view televised unanimous decision loss to Manny Pacquiao, spoke to FanHouse last Friday concerning his recovery and his anticipated return to the ring.

The 32-year-old Margarito (38-7, 27 knockouts) fought Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) for the vacant WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt, which Pacquiao has since vacated even as he defends his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title against Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) on May 7 in a Showtime pay per view televised bout that is being promoted by Top Rank Promotions.

Last Friday, Margarito was at the Mandalay Bay Hotel during the weigh in for last Saturday's HBO televised bout featuring WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) titlist, Nonito Donaire (26-1, 18 knockouts), of the Philippines, scoring a second-round knockout over WBO and WBC king, Fernando Montiel (44-3-2, 34 KOs), of Mexico, to earn Montiel's belts.

Margarito said that he already is in training for a potential June bout opposite WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs), assuming Cotto gets beyond a March 12, Showtime pay per view televised encounter with former world champion Ricardo Mayorga (29-7-1, 22 KOs).

Margarito dethroned Cotto as WBA welterweight king with an 11th-round knockout in July of 2008.


FanHouse: What is your prognosis of recovery from your injury?

Antonio Margarito: Well, thanks to God, everything has gone well. We have an appointment again next month with the doctors, and they will tell me more.

But so far, things are progressing very well.


FanHouse: What have you been able to do to begin to get into shape once again?

Since January 5, when the doctors cleared me to start working out, that's when I started. The only thing that I'm not doing is sparring. I'm doing everything else.

Running, push ups, sit ups, hitting the bags, and I'm doing that on my own. Sparring is the only thing that I haven't been doing.


When do you expect to be able to begin sparring?

We have an appointment for another examination next month, and, hopefully, by then, the doctor will give me the green light to begin sparring.


Can you clear the air for your fans and the media and the critics concerning whether or not you thought that your fight with Manny Pacquiao should have been stopped as a result of the damage that you were absorbing?

We wanted to finish on our feet. Every minute during the break between rounds, [trainer] Robert Garcia would ask me how I felt. My answer was always, 'I feel great.'

There was no reason to stop the fight. We always knew that one punch could make the difference and maybe turn the tide and the momentum of the fight.

We were looking to land that punch in the fight, but, unfortunately, we were never able to land that momentum-changing punch.


How did that fourth-round punch that opened the cut beneath your right eye affect the course of the fight?

That's what changed the fight. That punch. The uppercut from Manny Pacquiao in the fourth round is what changed the fight. Up until then, I thought we were fighting the right strategy.

We were going to break him down. But that punch changed everything. After that, all that I could see was blurry.


Why weren't you able to capitalize on that sixth-round body shot that hurt Manny Pacquiao?

I tried, but the bell ran. Plus, Manny Pacquiao is just an excellent fighter and he was able to maneuver away from me. I would have kept on trying if we had more time.

But the bell rang, so there was nothing that I could do.


What was said when Manny Pacquiao came to your dressing room after the fight?

Manny just came into the dressing room and gave me a nice hug we told each other that we both put forth a great effort in a great fight and that we should both be very proud.


When do you expect to be back in the ring and when do you want to fight Miguel Cotto?

When I get the green like from the doctor. But I think that Bob Arum is already talking about a rematch against Miguel Cotto. That's a fight that [Top Rank Promotions CEO] Bob Arum already has mentioned.

I would love to have that fight, but we have to get cleared by the doctor.


Do you anticipate taking a tuneup bout or do you want to go straight into a rematch with Miguel Cotto?

It all depends on Bob Arum. If Bob Arum feels that we might benefit from a tuneup and that we have enough time to do a fight in between the Cotto-Mayorga fight and my fight with Cotto, then we can do it.

But if not, then we'll go straight to Miguel Cotto. If it was my choice, then I would go straight into the Miguel Cotto fight. I would love to go right into that fight, probably in June.


What is your relationship with your trainer, Robert Garcia?

I am very happy with him. He's a very good friend and a great trainer.


How long will you continue fighting?

I'm going to allow my body to tell me when enough is enough. I think that if, when I fight Cotto, my body tells me that's enough, then that will be end.

But if I feel strong and I feel healthy during and after the fight, then I will continue fighting. I will continue in this game until my body tells me that that is enough.


When you say, 'Enough,' how do you mean that the state of having had 'Enough' will manifest itself?

Right now, my body responds well to hard training and it responds to all of the things that I do in the gym. The simple fact is, in my last fight, I lost to Manny Pacquiao.

Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter, but it was just another loss. I feel that I'm healthy enough to keep fighting right now, and that I can come back and do it again.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Donaire punches his way to stardom -- FOX Sports

By Allen Trieu, FOX Sports

“I don’t know about star yet,” Nontio Donaire said.

The 28-year-old Filipino-American fighter was trying to stay modest after a scintillating second-round knockout of Fernando Montiel to win both the WBO and WBC bantamweight world titles. While Donaire may not want to say it, he propelled himself to stardom with that punch. The boxing community is abuzz over that devastating left hook that sent Montiel to the canvas and fractured his cheek bone.

Where does this put him now? The exact number on the pound-for-pound list is up for debate, but many agree he is right up there with Sergio Martinez, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. In addition to his obvious power, quickness and speed, he also appears to have clairvoyance on his side.

“I was telling everybody second round and I said it,” Donaire said after the fight. “I told you second, right. I told a lot of people second round. It wasn’t to be cocky or anything, it was just to motivate myself.”

After Donaire won the first round, Montiel appeared to be getting a rhythm and was picking up the aggression in the second. Donaire says it was all according to plan.

“That’s why it seemed like I was losing that round, is because I was being attentive,” he said. “Where he was going to be, his movement, his body and where his head was going to be after he punches. When I figured out where exactly where he was going to be, I knew regardless if I close my eyes, he was going to be there as long as my punches were in that direction.”

Donaire calls it the hardest punch he has ever thrown in his life and his most memorable punch to date. That is saying something considering his career full of knockouts, including the fifth-round KO of heavily favored Vic Darchinyan in 2007 which first put him on the map.

To be a star, you cannot just be a great fighter. Donaire has a personality that draws people in. After the fight, he said he won it not just for himself, but for all the kids who had been bullied like him. Who can’t relate to that?

The pieces are here for him to continue his rise. As boxing searches for the next great heavyweight, it is guys like Donaire in the lighter divisions, along with Pacquiao, Mayweather and other rising stars like Timothy Bradley and Amir Khan that are breathing life into the sport.

“I don’t know about the star yet,” Donaire reiterated, “but I definitely believe I belong in that top pound-for-pound and I am the best bantamweight right now and this is just the beginning of it.”

It is indeed just the beginning, as the bantamweight division has several attractive potential opponents. There is also the possibility of moving up weight classes. Another piece to Donaire’s likability is his willingness to fight whoever wants to get in the ring with him.

“What’s next is anybody. “

Source: msn.foxsports.com

The New Ring Magazine Pound-For-Pound Ratings: Nonito Donaire Takes Number-Three Slot -- Eastside Boxing

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

“The Bible Of Boxing,” Ring Magazine, has just updated its Pound-For-Pound ratings and its clear the writers of the publication were as impressed as the fans were by bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire’s awesome 2nd-round stoppage of Mexico’s Fernando Montiel. Before the big win, “The Filipino Flash” sat at the #5 position on Ring’s P-4-P chart, but now he has vaulted up to the #3 position - behind only countryman Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Junior.

Fans of middleweight king Sergio Martinez may feel angered, seeing as how “Maravilla” has been dropped to the #4 slot, but it can’t be denied how deserving of his lofty ranking Donaire is. Many good writers wrote how a star was born on Saturday night, in reference to the brutally stunning punch that both felled the previously unstopped Montiel and left his legs twitching in scary fashion. Now eager to see more of the once-beaten (very early in his pro career, on points over five-rounds), now three-weight champion, fans and writers also want to see how high Donaire can go in the P-4-P charts..

Much has been discussed about the man who still holds the #2 slot, the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Junior. Some fans feel “Money” should be dropped down a few places due to inactivity; others still say he should not be on the list at all any longer! It sure will be interesting to see what Ring Magazine and other publications do with the soon-to-be 34-year-old star if the month of May comes and goes without him fighting. It was back on May 1st, against Shane Mosley, when Mayweather last boxed, but with his legal issues hanging over him, it’s unlikely he will fight again any time soon. If a full year passes without Floyd having fought, should he be dropped from the P-4-P ratings?

If this is what turns out to be the case, and as long as he doesn’t lose in the meantime, the sensational Donaire will likely rise to the #2 slot; meaning two great fighters from The Philippines will pretty much rule the boxing world! And two greater, more role model-like men you could not find. Isn’t it a shame, though, that these two incredible talents will never be able to fight each other in a bid to decide true supremacy?

Ring Magazine’s full top-10, Pound-for-Pound:

1. Manny Pacquiao

2. Floyd Mayweather

3. Nonito Donaire

4. Sergio Martinez

5. Juan Manuel Marquez

6. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam

7. Wladimir Klitschko

8. Timothy Bradley

9. Juan Manuel Lopez

10. Giovani Segura

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Glittering Donaire poised to cash in commercially in Philippines, USA -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner.com

If Bobby "Boxing Hippie" Diamond was still around Carol Doda's and the other topless joints of then gamy North Beach, San Francisco, I know what he would've said about Bay Area resident Nonito Donaire's clean, crisp KO 2 over Mexican champ Fernando Montiel Saturday night.

"He must think the Mexican guy is Jewish because he hit him right in the temple."

Well, onetime New England feathherweight champeen and conqueror of Leo DiFiore, Diamond was funny like that.

When a Boston light heavyweight acqauitance of his was found rigor mortis in the water under the Mystic River Bridge in mobbed up Chelsea, Diamond said, "Well, Georgie was always proficient in doing the Dead Man's Float."

Diamond was likely the greatest 4-10 featherweight ever. That's his pro record, not his height, folks.

He once said the California commission gave him a "no cut bout contract" and then explained that he was told if he did not trim his rock band singer locks they wouldn't allow him to rumble, young man, rumble.

I've thought of the now deceased character on my recent SF sojourn to see Mercito "No Mercy" Getsa fight.

Which brings us back to Donaire, who I think is going to be a magnet for advertisements and endorsements.

Only 28, Donaire is a true Fil-Am, meaning born in the Philippines and mostly raised in Norcal.

The public dissension between his attractive wife, Rachel, and Mom and Pop Donaire is played out and the fighter handled the question about the father (his original trainer) friction when quizzed by Mad Max Kellerman in he ring after the dramatic knockout.

I've made it a practice to tell fighters I've worked with that they will make 90 percent plus of all they earn in the ring and very little from non-boxing endeavors.

For most fighters, it rings true.

But Donaire is a fresh face, a bright and thoughtful young man who a growing demographic audience can identify with as I relearned watching the fight on TV in a San Francisco suburb.

Boxing Truth's John Chavez had me over to his friend Preston Wada's home and the crowd included a crazy quilt of mixed ethnicities, Japanese-American, Fil-Ams, Chinese-Filipino Ams and so on.

He wasn't present for the viewing but another Chavez pal, a North Beach cafe owner named Tarek, is Egyptian-American. As the "Egyptian Magician," Tarek tried a boxing career but could not overcome having Chavez as his trainer.)

America, it used to be said, is a melting pot. For this generation, it's more of a mixed salad.

I saw the same ethnic hodgepodge at a Daly City bowling alley, chock full of Fil-Ams but also populated by league teammates who were Mexican, Salvadoran and African American.

Properly handled, Donaire can be a new sporting hero for a New Age, for young people like the ones who I watched him dismantle Montiel with.

And, given how his latest victory has resonated back home with a senator issuing a proud proclamation in Manila and a victory lap/tour in the offing, the Donaires can milk both the Pinoy and USA markets for product endorsements and other lucrative sidelines.

Manny Pacquiao must be more careful now what he lends his name to commercially, given his Congressional status and possible aspirations for higher office in his homeland.

But not Donaire, he has no such limitations or restrictions.

If he keeps exploding in the ring and goes on dominating foes in an entertaining, Pacman-style way, the sky is really the limit.

I know one thing, when boxing ends, Donaire won't be needing any donors.

I know another thing, Bobby "Goldilocks" Diamond was a real gem.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com

Has Floyd Mayweather Jr lost his #2 pound for pound ranking -- Examiner

By Rick Rockwell, Examiner.com

With Manny Pacquiao still the pound for pound best fighter in the world, the question being asked Monday morning is who's the second best. On Saturday night, Nonito Donaire defeated Fernando Montiel in devastating fashion with a 2nd round TKO. Donaire improved his record to 26-1 and now holds the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles. By Monday, the buzz over Donaire's victory was still at such a "fever pitch" that many prestigious Boxing sources, like BoxingScene.com, have Donaire replacing Floyd Mayweather Jr as the #2 P4P best fighter. But has Floyd really lost the #2 spot?

I'm just as impressed over Donaire's Saturday night victory as many others, but I would not rank him #2. I also agree that Floyd Mayweather Jr should fall down the list especially if he's not fighting in the ring. If Floyd doesn't fight in 2011, which is possible due to his legal issues, then he should be dropped off the list all together. However, it's not Donaire that should replace him.

Sergio Martinez should be ranked as the #2 pound for pound best fighter. He was fighter of the year for 2010 and has dominated top fighters in 2 weight classes. Martinez KO'd Paul Williams who was arguably the #3 pound for pound fighter in the world. Martinez is arguably the one fighter that nobody really wants to face especially after defeating WIlliams and Pavlik.

I would slide Donaire right in at #3 and Floyd Jr would fall to #4. I'd probably round out the Top 5 with Juan Manuel Marquez or Timothy Bradley.

Who do you readers have as your Top 5 P4P?

Source: examiner.com

Pacquiao to Donaire: Keep your feet on the ground -- ABS-CBN

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao sent his congratulations to compatriot Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire, Jr., who rose to champion status after dethroning Mexican foe Fernando Montiel Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila).

"To Donaire, sa pagkapanalo, congrats ha! Salamat at nanalo ka na naman ulit. Nakapagbigay ka naman ng karangalan sa ating bansa," Pacquiao said of Donaire.

The 28-year-old Donaire is seen to be next in line with Pacquiao after a shocking 2nd round stoppage in their bantamweight bout.

The "Filipino Flash" now has an improved record of 26-1 with 18 knockout wins (KO) and hold the bantamweight titles from the World Boxing Organization and the World Boxing Council.

Pacquiao said Donaire can surely follow his footsteps as long as he keeps persevering while keeping his feet on the ground

"Keep up the good work and don't forget to pray... Huwag makalimot," he said.

Pacquiao, who flew from Los Angeles, California, disclosed that he had planned to surprise Donaire by watching the fight at the ringside.

However, due to bad weather, the flight got delayed causing him to miss Donaire's moment.

Pacquiao said he and wife Jinkee were just about to enter the Mandalay Resorts Hotel when the news broke out about Donaire's victory. – With a report from Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

Few suspicions linger about Donaire, one suspects -- 15Rounds

By Bart Barry, 15Rounds.com

Some boxing aficionados were suspicious of Nonito Donaire’s talents during the promotion of the young Filipino’s fight with Mexico’s WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel. Most of these aficionados’ wrongheaded ways were righted by the Donaire left that took Montiel’s mind right away. Donaire claimed those suspicions with grace and violence.

But a few stubborn members of the aficionado ranks remain. There is but one way for Donaire to undo these men’s obduracy. And lucky for us, that way is the one Donaire says he wants to go. More about that in a bit.

Saturday night at Mandalay Bay, Donaire did no wrong – not one wrong step, slip or punch – as he razed Montiel in a fight that was supposed to be super, wasn’t, but did end in superlative fashion. Donaire stopped Montiel ultimately with a flurry of afterthought punches at 2:25 of round 2. But by then he’d changed the trajectory of his career with a left hook that surprised Montiel, and everyone else.

Even serious boxing fans were forgiven their disbelief at Saturday’s spectacle. For most of us, after all, Nonito Donaire was the guy who stretched Vic Darchinyan on Showtime 40 months ago, left promoter Gary Shaw and disappeared into promoter Top Rank’s farm system, making reportedly excellent if alliterative progress on Pinoy Power pay-per-view programs.

By 2010 Donaire was lost to the public. While specialists knew of his technical acumen, most everyone else assumed Top Rank already had its Filipino superstar in Manny Pacquiao – and one was enough. Rabid as boxing’s supporters in the Philippines were, there was only so much money to be squeezed from the world’s number 46 economy.

How well Top Rank has handled Donaire’s career is debatable. How well Top Rank has developed Donaire as a prizefighter, though, is not.

Since his one-punch flattening of Darchinyan in 2007, Donaire had fought seven times against very good if not well-known opponents, men with a cumulative record of 170-13-5, and he’d gone 7-0 (6 KOs) while doing it. But none of them had much tested him, and only one had been undefeated when Donaire got to him.

Hence the suspicions. As usual, doubts about a Top Rank fighter’s otherwise remarkable achievements are a backhanded compliment to matchmaker Bruce Trampler. There are few fighters in the world who beat other men effectively as Trampler handicaps them. Trampler makes great fighters. And his brilliance might just be that rarest thing in our beloved, embellished sport: an underestimated entity.

Which is why a few folks out there remain shy of totally convinced by what their eyes saw Saturday when Donaire obliterated a man many suspected was, at worst, the world’s second-best bantamweight.

But Montiel was a 31 year-old tactician on a 12-fight unbeaten streak, for goodness’ sake! And he knocked-out Hozumi Hasegawa in Tokyo – something our prizefighting betters assured us was without precedent in modern bantamweight history.

Well, maybe. But what some saw Saturday was the same old Fernando Montiel, the guy who looked pretty good against Pramuansak Posuwan in Boxing World Cup ’05 and then pretty bad against Jhonny Gonzalez seven months later. When that impression was married to the data from HBO’s unofficial fight-night scale, showing Montiel’s body had grown 13 percent in fewer than 30 hours, the venti cup of credibility poured for us last week had some room left at the top.

Things aren’t the way they used to be. HBO’s trustworthiness as a boxing programmer in the last five years has been publicly challenged often enough, and by sources credible enough, that no subscriber any longer assumes a fight or fighter is great because HBO says so. The on-air talent knows this and often takes an apologetic or even defensive bent in its broadcasts; only Roy Jones Jr. remains an evangelist.

But none of this undermines how good Donaire looked Saturday. From the opening minute, he was in an entirely different class from Montiel’s. Where the Mexican looked tense and doubtful, Donaire looked fluid and assured. Where Montiel threw tentative range-finding punches, Donaire uncoiled counter hooks flamboyant for their commitment so early in a championship fight.

Donaire did not go after Montiel as a world champion making a title defense on boxing-television’s largest stage; he went after him like Montiel was just another hand-picked extra in an off-Broadway pay-per-view show. Montiel may not have been everything others promised, but he was still a hell of a lot better than Donaire made him look.

And because of the way he comported himself both during and after the fight, you have to believe Donaire when he says the few jabs and tentative right hands Montiel landed in the second stanza were part of a plan. First, Donaire allowed Montiel to touch him with the left. Then, when that succeeded, Donaire allowed Montiel to hang his jab, trigger a weak right-hand from Donaire, and try a left-hook counter behind it.

Soon as Montiel was confident enough to commit to a right cross, Donaire had him unconscious on the canvas, legs and arms twitching like a beetle tipped on its shell.

And that wasn’t enough? No, not quite. There is, after all, a Bantamweight Tournament being fought on Showtime. Its champion will be decided in Los Angeles two months from now. Whether he is Joseph Agbeko or Abner Mares, that champion will have undergone a more-public test than Donaire has. Will Mares or Agbeko fair any better against Donaire than Montiel did? Maybe not. But we won’t know till they fight.

Asked for his future plans, Saturday, Donaire said exactly the right thing: “I think that I want to be undisputed in this weight class.”

If Donaire handles the winner of the Bantamweight Tournament successfully, we’ll know he is the future of boxing. If not, we’ll have to see what boxing holds for Donaire’s future.

GOLDEN GLOVES
Writing of boxing’s future, at least in South Texas, it will be on display this week in San Antonio when the city hosts its 2011 Regional Golden Gloves Tournament. Festivities begin Tuesday night at 7:30 PM in the Woodlawn Gym on Cincinnati Avenue and culminate Saturday night at the majestic Municipal Auditorium, downtown.

You want a darkhorse pick? Happily: San Antonio Parks & Rec’s Benjamin Mendoza in the sub-novice heavyweight division.

Bart Barry can be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com.

Source: 15rounds.com

Aftermath: Meet the Newest Boxing Superstar, Nonito Donaire, Jr. -- 8CountNews

By Carl Guevara, 8CountNews.com

The much anticipated super fight last night can be described as quick, brutal, sensational, and career-changing victory for the Filipino Flash, Nonito Donaire, Jr. The new WBC and WBO bantamweight king showed Fernando Montiel and the whole world that he truly belong in the company of the elite pound for pound fighters today. He made a huge statement, proving that his 5th and 4th round KO victories against Vic Darchinyan and Wladimir Sidorenko were no flukes. But before the fight began, I already presumed that Team Montiel already knew how to neutralize Donaire’s Sunday punch, the powerful left hook/cross, which destroyed Darchinyan and Sidorenko.

In my last article, I went on saying that this is an evenly matched fight. Their skill, talent, and all the intangibles would not be a factor at all. I predicted the Mexican to prevail via unanimous decision due to his vast experience and he will be too smart to engage in an early brawl. I had also anticipated their team to employ different strategies to prevent Donaire from making Montiel the third victim of that vicious left hook. As it turned out, I was wrong… dead wrong!

Round one started and we saw some early hesitations from both fighters. The first minute of the round showed how both fighters used this round to feel and measure the range by feeling each other’s jabs and feints. Both men were also a cautious and tense at the same time which is a sign that they are not over estimating each other. Jabs, feints, and body shots were the main course of the round. Halfway into the round, the much bigger Donaire found his range and his crisp right hooks and jabs are now in target. Although Montiel was also hitting some good shots, he was not as busy as Donaire whose punches are landing more effectively and swiftly. On the last minute of the round, Donaire gave a sample of his left hook that snapped the head of the Mexican which caused a small cut on his right eye. In my scorecard, Donaire won the first round, 10-9.

In round two, both fighters began exchanging fierce jabs and body blows. Donaire had finally solved the range as he was hitting the Mexican champ with vicious power hooks to the body and head. Montiel became more active, trading power punches and the fight is fast becoming a brawl. It suddenly electrified the crowd of more than 5,000, which were mostly fans of the Mexican brawler, and the fight started to heat up. Midway through the second round, a right hook from the Filipino 2-division titlist rocked the head of the 4-time defending champ which changed the course of the fight. Montiel started to become a little tentative with his punches, while looking patiently for a chance to use his right counter hook.

With less than a minute left in the second round, Donaire missed a 1-2 combination which gave Montiel the opportunity to use his right counter-hook. Donaire dodged the hook and then… Boom! The fight was over in flash, compliments of a devastating left cross that landed perfectly on the chin of Montiel. It was a frightening scene, reminiscent to what Manny Pacquiao did to Ricky Hatton two years ago. Montiel was badly hurt but he gallantly tried to get up by shaking the effect on his legs.

Together with his Filipino fans, Donaire was jumping up and down in the corner while Montiel tried to stand and beat the count. Montiel’s heart and will to continue fighting made him beat the count, but the damage was already done. The referee continued the fight although all the people in the arena and the fans who are watching live on HBO knew it was over. Donaire immediately breezed through his opponent and fired a powerful left straight that hit the face of Montiel. Referee Russel Mora waved off the fight at 2:25.

As the roaring Filipino crowd joyously erupted with this magnificent victory, Nonito suddenly become one of the few boxers that could carry the sport someday. He has the complete package and the backing of a solid country to solidify his status as one of the best today. In his interview, Jun-Jun, as his friends and relatives would call him, hinted that a possibility of a unification bout against the winner of the April 23 IBO and WBC title showdown between Abner Mares and Joseph Agbeko will be in his sight. He also said that he plans to challenge Puerto Rico’s superstar featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez in the future. But for now, let’s savor the moment and welcome the newest superstar in boxing, Nonito Donaire, Jr.

The future of boxing is alive and well my friends.

Source: 8countnews.com

Shall We Dare To Compare? -- The Sweet Science

By Alex McClintock, The Sweet Science

Nonito Donaire may be even better than we thought he was. Comparisons to that other Filipino guy were already being made before Saturday night, but they will certainly grow louder now.

Donaire (26-1-0) left Mexico's Fernando Montiel (44-3-2) twitching on the canvas with a left hook, with a little over 40 seconds to go in the second round. Referee Russell Mora (perhaps unwisely) allowed Montiel to continue on shaky legs, but called things to a halt after he took just one more punch, another devastating left hook.

Donaire is now a legitimate top five pound for pound guy, if you're into that sort of thing. He is a truly massive bantamweight, with skills, power and speed. It's difficult to imagine either Abner Mares or Joseph Agbeko, the finalists of the Showtime bantamweight tournament, posing him any problems.

Truth be told, it's difficult to see anyone in the neighbourhood who could give him problems. A rise in weight may be on the cards, possibly leading to dream matches with Top Rank's other big little guys, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez.

The Pacquiao comparisons are also sounds increasingly legitimate. The left hook knockdown was Pacquiao/Hattonesque, though Montiel managed to beat the count. And Montiel is a better, more experienced guy than Hatton ever was.

Saturday night in Vegas, Donaire looked like a scary, scary guy. Luckily, he's also an articulate, English speaking Filipino. Pacquiao doesn't have that many fights left in him. What could be better for the sport than what happened Saturday?

Source: thesweetscience.com

Roy Jones: Nonito Donaire Rivals Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

LAS VEGAS -- An explosive left hook by WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) titlist Nonito Donaire had briefly stretched out WBO and WBC bantamweight (118 pounds) champion Fernando Montiel on the canvas on Saturday night, both of his arms extended over his head, and his legs twitching involuntarily.

The 31-year-old Montiel (44-3-2, 34 knockouts) would rise, fall uncontrollably into the ropes, and rise, yet again, before referee Russell Mora rightfully protected him from further damage by his 28-year-old conqueror, Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs), leading to a stoppage at 2:25 of the second round and the Filipino fighter's 25th straight victory and 10th knockout in his past 12 fights at the Mandalay Bay in an HBO-televised thriller.

"That's the heart that he gave. And that's why I have so much respect for Fernando Montiel. A lot of guys would not have gotten up at all. But you see how hard it was for him to get up. That was his heart and his pride as a Mexican," said Donaire.

"I was very surprised that he got up because I landed the punch flush," said Donaire. "I knew that he was going to go down with that punch. I just never thought that he was going to get up, but he did."

Donaire was then brought ringside for interviews with reporters following what has to be considered a career-defining fight, even as the process was interrupted by an excited, semi-retired, former, four-division world champion, Roy Jones Jr., who was serving as an HBO analyst for a fight whose result made him so giddy that he simply had to come and tell the victor, face-to-face.

For not since six-time champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (41-0, 25 KOs) and eight-division, WBO welterweight (147 pounds) Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) had Jones witnessed such beautiful skill and ferocity, all at once, this, from Pacquiao's Philippines countryman in ending an 11-0-1 unbeaten streak for Montiel that had included nine knockouts, four straight stoppages and a mark of 5-0-1, with five knockouts in his previous six fights.

"Nobody else comes close to Pacquiao, Mayweather and Donaire. Mayweather would be No. 1 if he was active. Pacquiao is up there now," said Jones, shortly after a nearly minute-long, eye-to-eye conversation with Donaire during which he more or less told the fighter the same thing.

"And then there's this kid. All three of them are pound-for-pound. It ain't about a popularity contest," said Jones. "It's about who does the job. This kid do the job. I see this kid doing some special things that not many fighters can do."

Stopped for the first time in his career, Montiel is among five Mexican fighters to have won world titles over the course of three divisions -- the others being WBA and WBO lightweight (135 pounds) titlist Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 38 KOs), Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. (107-6-2, 86 KOs), Erik Morales (51-6, 35 KOs) and Marco Antonio Barrera (66-7, 43 KOs).

In addition, Montiel was coming off of April's sensational fourth-round knockout over Hozumi Hasegawa (29-3, 12 KOs), a man who was in search of his sixth straight stoppage during a 25-fight winning streak that had included 11 knockouts.

But in less than six minutes, Donaire reduced a near-legend to yet another knockout victim.

A statistic.

"I just needed an opening. From there, it was the speed. That was my main key. That and the openings that he gave me were all that I needed. Second-round, he was looking to see if he could take advantage. I wanted to see where his body was going to be," said Donaire.

"The first round, I wanted to test out what he was going to do and if I could counter, but he was smart. I was blocking a lot of his punches," said Donaire. "I knew where he was going to be. I pretty much memorized where he was going to be. And when I ducked to throw my punch, I knew that my punch would land. That's what happened."

The bout was the second for Donaire as a bantamweight, following December's fourth-round knockout of Volodymyr Sydorenko (22-2-2, seven KOs), whose nose he broke during a bout in which Sydorenko was dropped once each in the first, third and fourth rounds.

"I just feel more comfortable in this division. I think that my name is up there enough where they have to recognize me and to fight me," said Donaire.

"I want to be undisputed in the 118-pound weight class," said Donaire. "If that doesn't happen, I want to go up to 122 or maybe 126, and to just keep going and that's all that I want to do.""

Nicknamed "The Filipino Flash," Donaire would like to pursue unification bouts against the winner of an April 23, Showtime-televised bantamweight match up between unbeaten 25-year-old Mexican-born IBO and WBC silver belt king Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs), of Montebello, Calif., and Africa's 30-year-old two-time IBF champion, Joseph Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs), that is slated for the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.

The WBA's bantamweight king is 25-year-old southpaw Anselmo Moreno (30-1-1, 10 KOs) of Panama, who has a Feb. 26 defense against 32-year-old Lorenzo Parra (31-2-1, 18 KOs) of Venezuela.

If not a fight at 118 pounds, then Top Rank Promotions' CEO, Bob Arum, has a promotional stable full of possible opponents for Donaire, a man who is looking to follow the path of Pacquiao, who earned his record eighth crown over as many different weight divisions with November's unanimous decision over ex-champion Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) for the WBC's junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt.

Other candidates for Donaire include Canadian southpaw IBF super bantamweight (122 pounds) king Steve Molitor (33-1, 12 KOs), and, WBO counter part Wilfredo Vazquez (20-0-1, 17 KOs).

There are also WBA and IBF featherweight (126 pounds) king Yuriorkis Gamboa (19-0, 15 KOs) and WBO counter part Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs).

Still other future rivals could include lightweight (135 pounds) star, Brandon Rios (26-0-1, 19 KOs), who will meet WBA champ Miguel Acosta (28-3, 22 KOs) in a Showtime-televised bout on Feb. 26, or WBC lightweight champ, Humberto Soto (54-7-2, 32 KOs), who has an HBO televised, May 7 rematch with Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs) after having vanquished him by unanimous decision.

"I believe Pacquiao has given me this opportunity. I don't mind being No. 2 behind Pacquiao. I have the utmost respect for Manny Pacquiao," said Donaire.

"I just came out there believing in what I had. I predicted a second round KO three months ago," said Donaire. "I want to be undisputed in my weight class. Otherwise I'll put my trust in [manager] Cameron Dunkin to move up to 122 or 126."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Nonito Donaire: Can Anyone Stop His Rise To The Top Of The Pound-For-Pound Ratings? -- Eastside Boxing

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

Going into last night’s Nonito Donaire-Fernando Montiel clash in Las Vegas, the thinking was the fight could possibly go either way. Donaire was a slight favourite, but he was not expected to utterly destroy the previously unstopped Mexican the way he did. But with one awesome left hook to the chin, that’s exactly what the “Filipino Flash” did.

Now the holder of the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles, the gifted 28-year-old is a three-weight “world” champion and he is rightfully feeling on top of the world after stopping the 31-year-old so swiftly and decisively. Seemingly unbeatable right now (Donaire has only ever lost one pro fight, this being a 5-round decision in what was just his second pro outing way back in March of 2001), the 26-1(18) champion surely belongs near the very top of the Pound-for-Pound ratings..

A case can be made for ranking Donaire as high as three or four, P-4-P, behind only countryman Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Junior and maybe Sergio Martinez. But one day soon, the way he’s going, with plans to go as high as 122, maybe even 126, Donaire figures to reach the very top in the mythical list. The youngest of the top-four P-4-P guys, Donaire could outlast Pac-Man, Money and Maravilla.

Pacquiao doesn’t figure to have too many more fights, Mayweather may never fight again, depending on the outcome of his legal troubles, and Martinez is 35-years-old. With so much fight left in him at just 28, and with the seemingly-at-his-peak Filipino having a number of solid opponents to look at facing in the coming months (the winner of the upcoming Joseph Agbeko-Abner Mares rematch at 118, the winner of the Vic Darchinyan-Yonnhy Perez clash, also at 118, and a number of big names at 126-pounds), it’s conceivable indeed that Donaire will one day reach the top of the P-4-P lists.

Is there any fighter, at either 118, 122 or 126, who can stop Donaire’s sensational rise?

Blurringly fast, wickedly powerful and utterly dedicated to his training, Donaire is also humble in the typical Filipino way. Sound familiar? Donaire is no longer simply Manny Pacquiao’s countryman, he is now hot on his heels when it comes to being able to lay claim to being the world’s very best fighter. Ring Magazine’s web site has compared Donaire’s awesome win from last night with Pac-Man’s one-punch icing of Ricky Hatton; it was that impressive. But we must not forget that Martinez, the world middleweight king and a serious rival to Donaire when it comes to the P-4-P charts, scored a sensational 2nd-round KO of his own recently. And the punch that the Argentine used to finish Paul Williams also happened to be the left hand.

There are certainly some great, great fighters operating today, and it will be hard for the experts to decide who should be ranked at three and four, after Pac-Man and Mayweather, in the P-4-P charts. How high does Donaire deserve to be placed right now, and how high can he get in the next year or so?

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Nonito Donaire presents case for becoming boxing’s next big thing -- Las Vegas Sun

By Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun



He grew up in General Santos, Philippines, and became a professional boxer before his 20th birthday in one of the smallest possible weight classes.

By the time he was 28, he had multiple championships and everyone in the boxing world considered him a star.

Any casual boxing fan who reads that description will immediately associate it with Manny Pacquiao, even though it could just as easily apply to Nonito Donaire.

Donaire (26-1) won his 25th straight fight Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center with a second-round knockout of Fernando Montiel (42-3-2) and took the WBC/WBO bantamweight titles in the process.

“Fernando Montiel has beaten everybody in the bantamweight division and look at how Nonito matched up against him,” said Top Rank CEO Bob Arum. “So, yeah, he is a superstar. I always felt that he had the ability to do what he did tonight, but now you’re going to see a lot of things we saw with Manny Pacquiao.”

No one had ever knocked out Montiel in his 15-year professional career. His two previous losses were a split decision to Jhonny Gonzalez and majority decision to Mark Johnson.

But Donaire made Montiel look like a stranger pulled off of Las Vegas Boulevard before the bout. Donaire used his quickness to land whatever punches he wanted for the first four minutes before dropping Montiel with 52 seconds remaining in the second round.

“I don’t know about the star yet, but I definitely believe I belong in that top pound-for-pound,” Donaire said. “I believe I’m the best bantamweight right now, and this is just the beginning of it.”

Donaire threw a left hook that landed squarely on Montiel’s temple and sent him to the ground where he flailed before working his way back up. The referee let the match continue but only for a few ticks off the clock.

Donaire charged once again, but Montiel was out of it and couldn’t protect himself. The referee officially called the fight at the 2:25 mark of the second round.

“I was so surprised he got up because I put everything into that punch,” Donaire said. “I knew where he was going to be and that was the hardest punch I have ever thrown in my life.”

The question now becomes what’s next for Donaire, who has demonstrated he has the talent for superstardom but could use a few more attention-grabbing bouts to break into the mainstream.

After the fight, Donaire said he would like to stay at the 118-pound class where he feels comfortable for now. But there’s a problem, because the rest of the competition appears so far behind.

“I don’t think any bantamweight stands a chance with him,” Arum said. “Maybe we go up to 122. I think the big, big fights are at 126.”

Donaire said he planned to move up the weight classes eventually and could see himself fighting as high as 135 pounds. Pacquaio famously started at the 105-pound division and now competes at 147 pounds.

Pacquaio won titles in eight different classes during his climb. Donaire is seen as one of the only fighters who could come close to matching that feat.

“I have my speed and I have my power,” Donaire said. “As I go up, I think you’ll see a more ferocious Nonito Donaire.”

In his post-fight press conference, Donaire said he got word that Pacquiao tried to be at the bout against Montiel. According to Donaire, Pacquiao even arrived at the arena but it was moments too late.

The fight had just ended. That’s how fast Donaire finished the previously indestructible Montiel.

“It’s such an honor that Manny even came here to see my fight,” Donaire said. “He tried to get here on a private plane and that just goes to show, I don’t mind being called No. 2. Manny is the one who created Filipinos in boxing and got that attention.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or case.keefer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

Source: lasvegassun.com

'Filipino Flash' KOs champ in 2nd -- San Francisco Chronicle

By Vittorio Tafur, San Francisco Chronicle

Reigning WBC and WBO Bantamweight champ Fernando Montiel was immediately bothered in Saturday's first round by Nonito Donaire's speed. He had no idea what was coming next.

In what was a star-making turn, San Leandro's Donaire hit Montiel so hard with a left hook that Montiel's legs were twitching as he lay on the ground in the second round. Montiel tried to get up from the baseball-bat like shot, but fell back down. Once he was up, Donaire finished him off with two more punches for the knockout at 2:25 of the round at Mandalay Bay Casino.

"That was the hardest punch of my career," said Donaire, now 26-1 with 18 knockouts. "I was so surprised that he got up, because I put everything I had into that punch."

The "Filipino Flash" won the first round by quickly moving in and out and landing body shots. The second round was much slower - Donaire said he was measuring up Montiel (44-3-2).

"If I closed my eyes, I knew where he was going to be when I threw that punch," said Donaire, who has now won 25 straight fights.

Donaire is from the same city (General Santos, Philippines) as boxing king Manny Pacquiao, and they might want to start bottling the water there. This is Donaire's second title at a different weight class and it's just a matter of time before he moves up from 118 pounds.

Like Donaire, Pacquiao won his first title at flyweight. He has now won titles in a record eight weight classes, and promoter Bob Arum sees Donaire, 28, taking a similar path.

"You saw a superstar performance tonight," Arum said. "This kid Donaire is a star, no question about it. His speed and punching power are incredible. Plus, he's intelligent, personable and good-looking. He is the total package."

Montiel, one of the five Mexican fighters to win world titles in three weight divisions, was taken to a hospital for precautionary tests.

Donaire thanked trainer Robert Garcia and nutritionist Victor Conte and said he will only get better as he stops starving himself to make weight.

"As I go up to 122 and 126, you will see a more and more ferocious Nonito Donaire," he said.

Pacquiao flew in for the fight, and was just getting in the doors when Donaire reached back with the big hook.

"I wish somebody would have told me," Donaire said. "I would have slowed down. ... No, seriously, I am just honored that he came. He will always be No. 1. I don't mind being No. 2."

E-mail Vittorio Tafur at vtafur@sfchronicle.com.

Source: sfgate.com

Donaire rocks Montiel, turns heads -- Yahoo! Sports

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports

LAS VEGAS – One long-time occupant of the top spot in boxing’s mythical pound-for-pound list said he believes a pair of Filipinos should sit atop the current rankings. But former champion Roy Jones Jr. said he’s not sure if it’s Manny Pacquiao or his countryman, Nonito Donaire Jr., who should be ranked first now.

Donaire made a startling case for himself on Saturday in his showdown with Fernando Montiel at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Donaire knocked Montiel down with a wicked left hook and a follow-up right, stopping the great Mexican seconds later at 2:25 of the second to claim the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization bantamweight belts.

“I saw this kid on TV a couple of years ago and I picked him out then,” said Jones, the long-time pound-for-pound who served as a color analyst for HBO on Saturday. “To be honest with you, there’s an argument whether he’s No. 1 or No. 2. I see (Donaire) doing things I don’t see many fighters do. He uses his feet first and his hands second.

“That check hook he threw was incredible. It was a punch I had perfected. I brought that punch to the game and this kid has it down pat solid.”

Montiel (44-2-2) entered the bout with 34 knockouts and held the 10th spot in the Yahoo! Sports rankings. But Donaire was never threatened. He was faster, he was smarter and he was far more powerful.

Montiel looked stiff when the fight began and paid a price early when Donaire raked him with a straight right in the opening moments. About a minute or so later, Donaire ripped him with a left hook that seemed to bother the champion.

Donaire, who was poised and calm throughout, knew long ago that it would be an early night. He said he told trainer Robert Garcia right before Christmas he would knock Montiel out in the second.

He was true to his word, knocking Montiel down with a vicious left hook and then a right uppercut that was totally unnecessary. Montiel was laying on the mat, with his legs twitching.

“I hit him with a left hook, I looked down and he started twitching,” Donaire said. “I knew the fight was over.”

It should have been, but, incredulously, referee Russell Mora let it continue. Montiel fell on his first attempt to get up and didn’t respond to Mora’s command to walk toward him when he did arise. However, Mora walked to Montiel, wiped his gloves and somehow saw fit to allow the bout to move on. Donaire landed two punches before Mora then jumped in.

Donaire had his second-round knockout, fulfilling his own prediction.

“I told Robert before Christmas,” Donaire said afterward. “I just put it in my head. It was just ‘Two. Two. Two. Two. Two.’ The thing is, though, I needed to be strong, because that two could have turned into a two for me. But I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

Before the fight, it would not have been a stunner had Montiel won by second-round knockout. After all, the veteran Mexican held world titles in three weight classes, had 34 knockouts among his 44 wins and had won four fights in 2010, all in the fourth round or earlier.

“I knew we both had the punching power to knock each other out,” Montiel said before being transported to University Medical Center’s trauma unit for precautionary tests. “I made the first mistake and I paid for it.”

He paid big-time, though he was apparently unharmed. Physician Jeff Roth, who examined Montiel, said he responded appropriately and didn’t seem to have any serious injury.

But he wasn’t anywhere near good enough or fast enough to handle Donaire. Jones said he saw Donaire on television several years ago and was stunned by what he saw.

“This kid, when I saw him on TV a couple of years ago, I told my people he was the next best fighter I had seen in the last 10 years,” said Jones, a future Hall of Famer who held world titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. “That’s the truth. It was about two, three years ago and that’s how I remembered his name. I said, ‘That’s the best kid coming up I’ve seen in 10 years.’ They didn’t believe it, but I knew it.”

Jones has no interest in Donaire, which add significance to his opinion. Boxing is full of men whose opinion of a fighter depends upon who he’s under contract with.

It’s hard, though, to imagine anyone denying Donaire’s talents. He’s moving into the prime of his career and is handling elite competition in devastating fashion.

He is the only man to knock out Vic Darchinyan, handing the tough Armenian his first loss when he knocked him out in 2007. In December, he knocked former Olympic bronze medalist and ex-world bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko down three times before knocking him out in the fourth.

On Saturday, he dominated a future Hall of Famer, making it look one-sided in a fight expected to be a taut, back-and-forth affair.

“Speed was my main key,” Donaire said. “The openings he gave me were all I needed. The second round, he was looking to see if he could take advantage (of me). I wanted to see where his body was going to be. In the first round, I wanted to test what he was going to do and see if I could counter. But he was smart enough to block that counter. I was blocking a lot and I knew where he was going to be.

“I pretty much memorized where he was going to be, where his head was going to be. I knew when the time came, my punch was going to land and that is what happened.”

What will happen next is that there will be meetings and big fights for Donaire discussed. He said he wants to unify the bantamweight belts, but would be open to moving to super bantamweight or even featherweight. HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said he wouldn’t mind seeing Donaire in the featherweight mix against guys like Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

“How fun would that be,” Greenburg asked of fights between Donaire and one of those unbeaten featherweights. “I’d love that.”

It’s going to be a while before his future is crystallized, but one thing is certain: He’s going to be in some big fights for a while.

“Get used to him,” Jones said. “This kid is good – damn good. You had better get used to seeing him. He ain’t going anywhere.”

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Nonito Donaire Stops Fernando Montiel In Second Round -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

LAS VEGAS -- WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) titlist Nonito Donaire scored his 25th straight victory and 10th stoppage in his past 12 fights with Saturday night's HBO-televised second round knockout in a bantamweight (118 pounds) showdown over WBO and WBC champion Fernando Montiel from the Mandalay Hotel.

Donaire dropped his rival with a stunning left hook, followed by a short right uppercut that left his arms outstretched over his head and both legs twitching. Montiel rose on unsteady legs, fell back down, and then rose yet again and stumbled into referee Russell Mora.

Mora brushed off Montiels gloves before allowing the fight to continue. But Donaire pounced on the helpless Montiel, who was standing near his own corner, and landed a single left hook before Mora stepped in to protect Montiel from further harm at 2:25 of the round.

"I hit him with the left hook and I looked down, and I saw that his legs were twitching, and I knew that the fight was over," said Donaire, who improved to 26-1, with 18 knockouts.

"I had a premonition that this would happen," said Donaire. "I told my trainer, Robert Garcia in camp before Christmas that it would be a second-round knockout."

In victory over the 31-year-old Montiel (44-3-2, 34 knockouts), the 28-year-old Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) defeated a man who is among five Mexican fighters to have won world titles over the course of three divisions -- the others being WBA and WBO lightweight (135 pounds) titlist Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 38 KOs), Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. (107-6-2, 86 KOs), Erik Morales (51-6, 35 KOs) and Marco Antonio Barrera (66-7, 43 KOs).
The bout was the second for Donaire as a bantamweight, following December's fourth-round knockout of Volodymyr Sydorenko (22-2-2, seven KOs), whose nose he broke during a bout in which Sydorenko was dropped once each in the first, third and fourth rounds.

Montiel was coming off of April's sensational fourth-round knockout over Hozumi Hasegawa (29-3, 12 KOs), a man who was in search of his sixth straight stoppage during a 25-fight winning streak that had included 11 knockouts.

Montiel was examined in his dressing room, and was taken to the University Medical Center's trauma unit for precaution.

"I knew that we both had the power to knock each other out," said Montiel. "But I made the first mistake, and I paid for it."

Donaire's clash with Montiel continued the rivalry begun by Philippines countryman and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) titlist, Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), who has been nicknamed, "The Mexicutioner," for his dominance of fighters from that country.

Now it appears that Donaire will continue that run.

Donaire hopes to have secured potential unification bouts against the winner of an April 23, Showtime-televised matchup between unbeaten 25-year-old Mexican-born IBO and WBC silver belt king Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs), of Montebello, Calif., and Africa's 30-year-old two-time IBF champion, Joseph Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs), that is slated for the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

The WBA's bantamweight king is 25-year-old southpaw Anselmo Moreno (30-1-1, 10 KOs) of Panama, who has a Feb. 26 defense against 32-year-old Lorenzo Parra (31-2-1, 18 KOs) of Venezuela.

Nicknamed "The Filipino Flash," Donaire is looking to follow the path of Pacquiao, who earned his record eighth crown over as many different weight divisions with November's unanimous decision over ex-champion Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) for the WBC's junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt.

Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum has compared Donaire, who walks around at 135 pounds, favorably to Pacquiao, whom Donaire said is, "definitely an inspiration in my career."

Besides the Agbeko-Mares winner, Arum has a promotional stable of fighters against whom he could match Donaire. There are Canadian southpaw IBF super bantamweight (122 pounds) king Steve Molitor (33-1, 12 KOs), and, WBO counter part Wilfredo Vazquez (20-0-1, 17 KOs).

There are WBA and IBF featherweight (126 pounds) king Yuriorkis Gamboa (19-0, 15 KOs) and WBO counter part Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs).

Down the road at lightweight (135 pounds), there are potential bouts opposite star, Brandon Rios (26-0-1, 19 KOs), who will meet WBA champ Miguel Acosta (28-3, 22 KOs) in a Showtime-televised bout on Feb. 26, or WBC lightweight champ, Humberto Soto (54-7-2, 32 KOs), who has an HBO televised, May 7 rematch with Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs) after having vanquished him by unanimous decision.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com