By Bob Velin, USA TODAY
The best Filipino fighter this side of Manny Pacquiao takes to the ring Saturday night for what is expected to be the toughest challenge of his career.
Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs) will try to take the WBO and WBC bantamweight title belts that belong to his opponent, Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs) of Mexico, in a scheduled 12-round bout at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas (HBO live, 9:45 p.m. ET).
Donaire, who is from the same city in the Philippines as Pacquiao —General Santos City— but moved to the USA when he was 10, has knockout power he has demonstrated on several occasions.
U.S. fans first witnessed that power in Donaire's shocking one-punch (left hook), fifth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Vic Darchinyan at 112 pounds (flyweight) in 2007.
Last December, in his most recent display, Donaire disposed of Ukrainian Wladimir Sidorenko in four rounds, dropping him twice before the final KO, a left-hook counterpunch that showed viewers why his nickname is "the Flash." Sidorenko never saw the punch coming, and it left his face a bloody mess.
Donaire, 28, who has not lost since his second professional fight a decade ago, says he thinks a victory in this fight will finally propel him to the stardom that has eluded him since the Darchinyan KO. He figures it didn't happen then because fans were skeptical and some thought it might have been a fluke.
"My marketability will skyrocket. My name will get bigger and I will get bigger fights," Donaire says. "People will come after me because that's what happens when you're on top. My name is in the top pound-for-pound lists and no one can take that away from me after I beat Montiel."
Montiel, 31, is a savvy veteran who has been fighting professionally since he was 16 and has not lost since 2006. He is coming off a second-round stoppage of Jovanny Soto last December.
Montiel acknowledges that he and Donaire are friends and says he was impressed by Donaire's win against Sidorenko.
"But I'm not Sidorenko," says Montiel. "Sidorenko just stood there in front of him. I am not going to be standing in front of him. I'm going to be moving around and I'll be doing my job, too. I think our styles match real well and it's going to be a good fight."
Like his friend Pacquiao, a champion in a record eight weight divisions, Donaire hopes to keep moving up in weight.
"Right now I am not even touching the weights and I am blowing up to 135 (pounds) if I don't take care of myself for even just a few days," says Donaire, who will fight Montiel at 118 pounds. "I think I can fight as heavy as 130 or 135 because of how much bigger I have become."
Montiel is not so sure Donaire will be as good or as quick at the heavier weights.
"He is a good fighter but I think he was better at either 112 or 115," says Montiel. "We'll see how good he is at 118 and that will show in the ring."
On the televised undercard is a rematch of one of the top fights of 2010 — welterweights Mike Jones (23-0, 18 KOs) of Philadelphia against Jesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3, 16 KOs). Jones scored a close and controversial majority decision against Soto-Karass last November on the Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard.
Source: usatoday.com
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