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
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