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
Sunday, 20 February 2011
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
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
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
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
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
Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire Knocks Out Mexico’s Fernando Montiel -- The Sweet Science
By David A. Avila, The Sweet Science
In one swoop via a left hook Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire ripped the WBC and WBO bantamweight world titles from Mexico’s Fernando Montiel (44-3-2, 34 KOs) by technical knockout on Saturday.
A hard core boxing crowd saw Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) win the battle of pound for pound fighters in electrifying fashion at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Montiel was good, but Donaire is great and showed it.
Immediately Donaire set the tone with some leaping lefts and rights that caught Mexico’s Montiel blinking from the suddenness of the blows. Every time the Mexican speedster tried a move it was beaten by Donaire. The lanky Filipino from San Leandro won the first round handily.
“I wanted to see how his body was,” Donaire said after.
A small conference in Montiel’s corner before the second round resulted in the long-time champion looking to press forward and closer with feints, head movement and jabs. Donaire readjusted his bomb sights and slipped into a counter-punch mode.
The effects were immediate.
Montiel looked to power through with a right and delivered one through Donaire’s gloves, but was wide open for the counter left hook. The impact from that single punch sent Montiel to the canvas with his legs struggling to move while on his back. Referee Russell Mora began the count and Montiel rolled around and suddenly leaped up to beat the count. Though seemingly steady, Montiel was still lost in a cloud. When the fight resumed Donaire leaped in for the kill and busted a right and left that forced the referee to stop the fight at 2:25 of the second round.
“I knew exactly what was going to happen and where he was going to be at,” Donaire said.
Donaire is the new WBO and WBC bantamweight champion.
“I just came out there believing in this talent God has given me,” said Donaire, who is a former flyweight world champion. “I predicted this eight months ago.”
The new champion indicated again that he would like to be the unified bantamweight world champion perhaps signifying that he will fight the winner of Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares in April.
Welters
It was a rematch between skill and will and skill won as Mike Jones (24-0, 18 KOs) used his footwork, jab, crisp combinations and strategy to beat the Los Mochis fighter Jesus Soto Karass (24-6-3, 16 KOs) by unanimous decision.
Unlike the first fight, Jones didn’t blow his load trying to knock out the stone chin of Soto Karass. He had never fought a Mexican before especially one from Los Mochis, and learned from their first fight that guys from that region are known for taking a punch.
Boy did he learn.
Jones used the jab like a rapier and kept circling left all night long. It was plan A and it worked to near perfection as Soto Karass never cut off the ring and allowed the Philadelphia boxer to stick to game room strategy.
Mexico’s Soto Karass worked the body continuously and was intent on firing punches in-between Jones punches. It worked but he never had an answer for those jabs that kept winning points for Jones.
Round and round it went with Jones hitting and moving and Soto Karass pressing to attack and not finding enough moments to take advantage of his body attack. Then, ironically, Jones pressed the attack to the Mexican fighter’s body and that seemed to slow down Soto Karass even more.
Of course Soto Karass was not about to give in, despite various moments in between rounds when doctors, his trainer and the referee offered him to take a stool, he was not about to surrender.
Jones kept boxing adeptly absorbing a shot here and there but more often jabbed, sliced right hands and uppercuts in convincing the judges he was the clear winner 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111.
Source: thesweetscience.com
In one swoop via a left hook Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire ripped the WBC and WBO bantamweight world titles from Mexico’s Fernando Montiel (44-3-2, 34 KOs) by technical knockout on Saturday.
A hard core boxing crowd saw Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) win the battle of pound for pound fighters in electrifying fashion at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Montiel was good, but Donaire is great and showed it.
Immediately Donaire set the tone with some leaping lefts and rights that caught Mexico’s Montiel blinking from the suddenness of the blows. Every time the Mexican speedster tried a move it was beaten by Donaire. The lanky Filipino from San Leandro won the first round handily.
“I wanted to see how his body was,” Donaire said after.
A small conference in Montiel’s corner before the second round resulted in the long-time champion looking to press forward and closer with feints, head movement and jabs. Donaire readjusted his bomb sights and slipped into a counter-punch mode.
The effects were immediate.
Montiel looked to power through with a right and delivered one through Donaire’s gloves, but was wide open for the counter left hook. The impact from that single punch sent Montiel to the canvas with his legs struggling to move while on his back. Referee Russell Mora began the count and Montiel rolled around and suddenly leaped up to beat the count. Though seemingly steady, Montiel was still lost in a cloud. When the fight resumed Donaire leaped in for the kill and busted a right and left that forced the referee to stop the fight at 2:25 of the second round.
“I knew exactly what was going to happen and where he was going to be at,” Donaire said.
Donaire is the new WBO and WBC bantamweight champion.
“I just came out there believing in this talent God has given me,” said Donaire, who is a former flyweight world champion. “I predicted this eight months ago.”
The new champion indicated again that he would like to be the unified bantamweight world champion perhaps signifying that he will fight the winner of Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares in April.
Welters
It was a rematch between skill and will and skill won as Mike Jones (24-0, 18 KOs) used his footwork, jab, crisp combinations and strategy to beat the Los Mochis fighter Jesus Soto Karass (24-6-3, 16 KOs) by unanimous decision.
Unlike the first fight, Jones didn’t blow his load trying to knock out the stone chin of Soto Karass. He had never fought a Mexican before especially one from Los Mochis, and learned from their first fight that guys from that region are known for taking a punch.
Boy did he learn.
Jones used the jab like a rapier and kept circling left all night long. It was plan A and it worked to near perfection as Soto Karass never cut off the ring and allowed the Philadelphia boxer to stick to game room strategy.
Mexico’s Soto Karass worked the body continuously and was intent on firing punches in-between Jones punches. It worked but he never had an answer for those jabs that kept winning points for Jones.
Round and round it went with Jones hitting and moving and Soto Karass pressing to attack and not finding enough moments to take advantage of his body attack. Then, ironically, Jones pressed the attack to the Mexican fighter’s body and that seemed to slow down Soto Karass even more.
Of course Soto Karass was not about to give in, despite various moments in between rounds when doctors, his trainer and the referee offered him to take a stool, he was not about to surrender.
Jones kept boxing adeptly absorbing a shot here and there but more often jabbed, sliced right hands and uppercuts in convincing the judges he was the clear winner 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111.
Source: thesweetscience.com
Donaire stops Montiel in second round -- ESPN
By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com
LAS VEGAS -- Hanging in the rafters of the Mandalay Events Center is a banner commemorating some of its greatest fights. One of them is from the first legendary showdown of the great Erik Morales-Marco Antonio trilogy.
It took place 11 years ago Saturday night, perhaps an omen for something special to come. But while we did not get that same kind of all-time classic fight, we got quite a memorable individual performance as Nonito Donaire blew away Fernando Montiel with a spectacular second-round knockout to seize his two bantamweight titles.
Coming into the fight, Donaire and Montiel were both on the pound-for-pound list and bidding for upward mobility, but it was Donaire who bashed his way a step closer to being recognized as one of the very best fighters in the world behind Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino countryman he idolizes.
With the booming knockout, Donaire won a title in a third weight class and gave the Philippines another victory in its burgeoning boxing rivalry with Mexico. Donaire was a longtime flyweight champion -- the same division where Pacquiao began his historic run -- and also had won an interim junior bantamweight belt.
But he had outgrown the 115-pound division and moved up to bantamweight in December, where he crushed former titlist Wladimir Sidorenko in four rounds to send a message to the division.
He sent another one against Montiel, who wound up in the hospital as a precaution after such a thudding knockout.
"I knew we both had the punching power to knock each other out," Montiel said. "I made the first mistake and I paid for it."
Did he ever. But Donaire said it was no surprise to him. He said that he had envisioned a second-round knockout.
"I told [trainer] Robert Garcia in camp before Christmas it would be a second-round knockout. I had a premonition," Donaire said.
That's exactly what he got.
"It was the speed. That was my main key. The openings he gave me was all I needed," said Donaire, a native of the Philippines who moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when he was 10.
Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) moved a step close to his countryman on that pound-for-pound list with such a devastating performance against Montiel, a three-division titleholder who had impressed many when he went to Japan last year and unified 118-pound belts against the formidable Hozumi Hasegawa with a fourth-round knockout.
While Pacquiao rules the pound-for-pound roost and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has a tenuous grasp on No. 2 -- a hold that slips every day because of his inactivity -- you can argue that Donaire perhaps is No. 3.
No less that Roy Jones Jr., who called the fight for HBO's "Boxing After Dark" broadcast and who ruled the pound-for-pound list for a decade, believes Donaire is a special fighter worthy of a lofty ranking.
"Nobody else comes close to Pacquiao, Mayweather and Donaire," Jones said. "Mayweather would No. 1 if he was active. Pacquiao is up there. And there's this kid. All three of them are sharp. Pound-for-pound ain't about a popularity contest. It's about who do the job. This kid do the job. I see this kid doing things not many fighters can do."
Particularly impressive is what Jones called the "check hook," the sort of left hook that Donaire landed with an explosion in the second round that effectively ended the fight.
"This kid has it down pat, solid," said Jones, who won world titles in four weight classes. "This kid, to me, is the next best in the world next to Pacquiao, because Mayweather is inactive. I saw Donaire about two years ago and I knew he was something special."
Donaire won the first round on all three scorecards, opening a small cut on Montiel's left eyelid, and then ended it in the second with that check hook. As Montiel 43-3-2, 33 KOs), 31, was going down very hard from the hook, Montiel got in a right uppercut for good measure as he was falling.
Montiel crashed to the canvas, his legs eerily fluttering as referee Russell Mora counted.
"When I hit him with the left hook and he started twitching, I knew the fight was over," Donaire said.
It was not quite over. Montiel, perhaps only on instinct, made it to his feet, but not before falling to the canvas for a second time.
As Donaire stood in a neutral corner with his arms raised, Mora gave Montiel a long look, but allowed the fight to continue. That was not a good idea.
Donaire pounced, landing a left and a right that had Montiel out on his feet in a corner as Mora jumped in to stop it at 2 minutes, 25 seconds.
"In the first round I wanted to test what he would do," Donaire said. "I was blocking a lot of his shots and I memorized where his head would be. I knew my punches would land and that's what happened."
Like most in the announced crowd of 4,805 Donaire, 28, was rather surprised Montiel made it to his feet after such a crushing shot.
"That's the heart and that he has that I have so much respect for," said Donaire, who earned a career-high $350,000 while Montiel earned $250,000 plus a piece of Mexican television revenue. "You see how big of a heart he has. I surprised he could get up. I never thought he would get up."
Donaire now has some interesting options. The fight that makes the most sense is a match with the winner of the April 23 fight between titlist Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares, who meet in the final of Showtime's four-man tournament.
Donaire and Montiel were invited to participate, but Top Rank did not want to be involved. It could be a tricky fight to make given the network and promotional entanglements.
But Donaire said he wants to further unify the belts, even though he reigns as No. 1 in the division.
"I feel more comfortable at this weight and I want to be undisputed in this weight class. If that doesn't happen, I want to go up to 122 or 126," a beaming Donaire said, knowing that Top Rank has numerous quality titleholders and contenders in those divisions it could offer him.
"I just want to keep going. My name is up there enough where I can get a big fight now."
Maybe not quite like Pacquiao, but good enough to bring a broad smile to Donaire's face.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
LAS VEGAS -- Hanging in the rafters of the Mandalay Events Center is a banner commemorating some of its greatest fights. One of them is from the first legendary showdown of the great Erik Morales-Marco Antonio trilogy.
It took place 11 years ago Saturday night, perhaps an omen for something special to come. But while we did not get that same kind of all-time classic fight, we got quite a memorable individual performance as Nonito Donaire blew away Fernando Montiel with a spectacular second-round knockout to seize his two bantamweight titles.
Coming into the fight, Donaire and Montiel were both on the pound-for-pound list and bidding for upward mobility, but it was Donaire who bashed his way a step closer to being recognized as one of the very best fighters in the world behind Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino countryman he idolizes.
With the booming knockout, Donaire won a title in a third weight class and gave the Philippines another victory in its burgeoning boxing rivalry with Mexico. Donaire was a longtime flyweight champion -- the same division where Pacquiao began his historic run -- and also had won an interim junior bantamweight belt.
But he had outgrown the 115-pound division and moved up to bantamweight in December, where he crushed former titlist Wladimir Sidorenko in four rounds to send a message to the division.
He sent another one against Montiel, who wound up in the hospital as a precaution after such a thudding knockout.
"I knew we both had the punching power to knock each other out," Montiel said. "I made the first mistake and I paid for it."
Did he ever. But Donaire said it was no surprise to him. He said that he had envisioned a second-round knockout.
"I told [trainer] Robert Garcia in camp before Christmas it would be a second-round knockout. I had a premonition," Donaire said.
That's exactly what he got.
"It was the speed. That was my main key. The openings he gave me was all I needed," said Donaire, a native of the Philippines who moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when he was 10.
Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) moved a step close to his countryman on that pound-for-pound list with such a devastating performance against Montiel, a three-division titleholder who had impressed many when he went to Japan last year and unified 118-pound belts against the formidable Hozumi Hasegawa with a fourth-round knockout.
While Pacquiao rules the pound-for-pound roost and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has a tenuous grasp on No. 2 -- a hold that slips every day because of his inactivity -- you can argue that Donaire perhaps is No. 3.
No less that Roy Jones Jr., who called the fight for HBO's "Boxing After Dark" broadcast and who ruled the pound-for-pound list for a decade, believes Donaire is a special fighter worthy of a lofty ranking.
"Nobody else comes close to Pacquiao, Mayweather and Donaire," Jones said. "Mayweather would No. 1 if he was active. Pacquiao is up there. And there's this kid. All three of them are sharp. Pound-for-pound ain't about a popularity contest. It's about who do the job. This kid do the job. I see this kid doing things not many fighters can do."
Particularly impressive is what Jones called the "check hook," the sort of left hook that Donaire landed with an explosion in the second round that effectively ended the fight.
"This kid has it down pat, solid," said Jones, who won world titles in four weight classes. "This kid, to me, is the next best in the world next to Pacquiao, because Mayweather is inactive. I saw Donaire about two years ago and I knew he was something special."
Donaire won the first round on all three scorecards, opening a small cut on Montiel's left eyelid, and then ended it in the second with that check hook. As Montiel 43-3-2, 33 KOs), 31, was going down very hard from the hook, Montiel got in a right uppercut for good measure as he was falling.
Montiel crashed to the canvas, his legs eerily fluttering as referee Russell Mora counted.
"When I hit him with the left hook and he started twitching, I knew the fight was over," Donaire said.
It was not quite over. Montiel, perhaps only on instinct, made it to his feet, but not before falling to the canvas for a second time.
As Donaire stood in a neutral corner with his arms raised, Mora gave Montiel a long look, but allowed the fight to continue. That was not a good idea.
Donaire pounced, landing a left and a right that had Montiel out on his feet in a corner as Mora jumped in to stop it at 2 minutes, 25 seconds.
"In the first round I wanted to test what he would do," Donaire said. "I was blocking a lot of his shots and I memorized where his head would be. I knew my punches would land and that's what happened."
Like most in the announced crowd of 4,805 Donaire, 28, was rather surprised Montiel made it to his feet after such a crushing shot.
"That's the heart and that he has that I have so much respect for," said Donaire, who earned a career-high $350,000 while Montiel earned $250,000 plus a piece of Mexican television revenue. "You see how big of a heart he has. I surprised he could get up. I never thought he would get up."
Donaire now has some interesting options. The fight that makes the most sense is a match with the winner of the April 23 fight between titlist Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares, who meet in the final of Showtime's four-man tournament.
Donaire and Montiel were invited to participate, but Top Rank did not want to be involved. It could be a tricky fight to make given the network and promotional entanglements.
But Donaire said he wants to further unify the belts, even though he reigns as No. 1 in the division.
"I feel more comfortable at this weight and I want to be undisputed in this weight class. If that doesn't happen, I want to go up to 122 or 126," a beaming Donaire said, knowing that Top Rank has numerous quality titleholders and contenders in those divisions it could offer him.
"I just want to keep going. My name is up there enough where I can get a big fight now."
Maybe not quite like Pacquiao, but good enough to bring a broad smile to Donaire's face.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Missing photo of Obama-Pacquiao meet -- Philippine Daily Inquirer
By Rina Jimenez-David, Philippine Daily Inquirer
ONE OF the enduring mysteries of the recent Pacquiao-Obama encounter at the White House is that no photos of that meeting have so far surfaced, at least in the traditional media.
In this age of photo-ops and instantly downloadable images, not a single photo, not even a grainy image shot with a cell phone, has been aired or printed. All we’re provided so far have been photos of the Filipino boxer with US Sen. Harry Reid, who served as Pacquiao’s tour guide in Washington, D.C.
Explanations have been scarce. And to fill the vacuum, people have come up with several theories. Was it the Pacman’s new Justin Bieber ’do? Maybe the graying Obama didn’t want to be shown standing beside a teen idol wannabe (or avid Bruce Lee fan, as Pacquiao explained), deeming it damaging to his image.
Could the White House have feared that “boxing’s only legislator,” as the New York Times dubbed him, would use any photo with Obama in a future campaign? This early, trainer Freddie Roach already proclaims Pacquiao a future Philippine president. Is the Pacquiao camp reserving the valuable photos for a future run for the presidency?
Talking with a broadcast executive at Friday’s Anvil Awards night, I heard the most intriguing theory yet. It’s possible the White House imposed an embargo on any Obama-Pacquiao photo release because the Pacman will be fighting an African-American, Sugar Shane Mosley, in his coming fight. Is Obama afraid he would be accused of abandoning a “brother” just to cozy up with the Pacman from Dadiangas? “Obama has always labored under the perception that he isn’t ‘black’ enough,” said my broadcaster friend, so the half-white President might have thought it the wiser course not to further damage his standing among the African-American community.
Whatever the reason, I hope someone from the Pacquiao camp comes up with a credible explanation soon. I for one am begging for answers to a burning question: What did Jinkee wear to the White House meeting? (And did the outfit include an Hermes Birkin?)
Source: opinion.inquirer.net
In this age of photo-ops and instantly downloadable images, not a single photo, not even a grainy image shot with a cell phone, has been aired or printed. All we’re provided so far have been photos of the Filipino boxer with US Sen. Harry Reid, who served as Pacquiao’s tour guide in Washington, D.C.
Explanations have been scarce. And to fill the vacuum, people have come up with several theories. Was it the Pacman’s new Justin Bieber ’do? Maybe the graying Obama didn’t want to be shown standing beside a teen idol wannabe (or avid Bruce Lee fan, as Pacquiao explained), deeming it damaging to his image.
Could the White House have feared that “boxing’s only legislator,” as the New York Times dubbed him, would use any photo with Obama in a future campaign? This early, trainer Freddie Roach already proclaims Pacquiao a future Philippine president. Is the Pacquiao camp reserving the valuable photos for a future run for the presidency?
Whatever the reason, I hope someone from the Pacquiao camp comes up with a credible explanation soon. I for one am begging for answers to a burning question: What did Jinkee wear to the White House meeting? (And did the outfit include an Hermes Birkin?)
Source: opinion.inquirer.net
Donaire puts reputation on line by working with BALCO figure -- Las Vegas Review-Journal
By Steve Carp, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Nonito Donaire insists tonight's WBC-WBO bantamweight championship fight against Fernando Montiel is a make-or-break moment in what has been a highly successful boxing career.
Donaire has trained to respond to the challenge that awaits him at Mandalay Bay Events Center, working with Victor Conte for the past 10 months to maximize the strength, speed and power of the fighter's 118-pound body.
"I'm in the best shape of my life, no question," Donaire (25-1, 17 knockouts) said on the eve of his showdown with Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs). "I'm faster, stronger than I've ever felt, and I'm ready to give a great performance."
But will he be clean?
By associating with Conte, Donaire risks having his performance questioned.
Conte's dealings in designer steroids led to his four-month stint in prison in 2005 after a lengthy federal probe into his infamous Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and tarnished the reputations of world-class athletes and Conte clients Barry Bonds, Marion Jones and Shane Mosley.
Donaire bristled at the notion that he might be cheating or that Conte is doing anything illegal with him.
"People can doubt what they want," the 28-year-old Donaire said. "But I know I have nothing to hide. They can test me all they want. I'm totally clean.
"I always seek to be better, to be stronger. Victor knows that. I'm in better shape for this fight than before."
The two have been working together for 10 months after a mutual friend introduced them.
"If I work with somebody, I have to be 100 percent for him, and he has to be 100 percent for me," Conte told Yahoo! Sports. "We've gotten to that point, and there has been no doubt, no wavering about us working together."
In his previous fight, Donaire dominated Wladimir Sidorenko on Dec. 4, flooring the former WBA bantamweight champion in the second round and stopping him in the fourth.
Donaire looks even stronger since that fight. He credits a strength training program with one of Conte's coaches, Remi Korchemny. They have worked on Donaire's speed rather than focusing on endurance.
"It's all muscle twitch," Donaire said, explaining the sprint work he does rather than the traditional roadwork that most boxers do. "If you look at the way I fight, it's all a burst, all a sprint. I'm not there to run six miles. It's a fast muscle twitch. It's similar to how I punch in the ring."
Perhaps that's why Donaire said he wants to end the fight with a knockout rather than go all 12 rounds with Montiel. "I don't think it will get that far," Donaire said.
His boxing trainer, Robert Garcia, said he has Donaire ready for 12 rounds in case he can't stop Montiel earlier.
"I know Nonito has the power to knock out Montiel," Garcia said. "But we want him to fight a smart fight. We want him to wear (Montiel) down, pick him apart, then finish him."
A win would give Donaire a third world title in three weight classes. But win or lose, he probably won't be a bantamweight for much longer. Donaire has expressed interest in moving up to featherweight, then super featherweight and perhaps as heavy as lightweight, much the way Manny Pacquiao did.
"My body's still growing, even though I'm 28," said Donaire, who made the 118-pound limit at Friday's weigh-in, as did Montiel. "I think I can be comfortable fighting at a higher weight."
But for now Donaire's focus is on being the best bantamweight tonight at Mandalay Bay.
"(Montiel) is the most complete fighter I have ever faced and the smartest fighter I have ever faced," Donaire said. "One mistake from me or one mistake from him, and it's going to be over."
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
Source: lvrj.com
Donaire has trained to respond to the challenge that awaits him at Mandalay Bay Events Center, working with Victor Conte for the past 10 months to maximize the strength, speed and power of the fighter's 118-pound body.
"I'm in the best shape of my life, no question," Donaire (25-1, 17 knockouts) said on the eve of his showdown with Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs). "I'm faster, stronger than I've ever felt, and I'm ready to give a great performance."
But will he be clean?
By associating with Conte, Donaire risks having his performance questioned.
Conte's dealings in designer steroids led to his four-month stint in prison in 2005 after a lengthy federal probe into his infamous Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and tarnished the reputations of world-class athletes and Conte clients Barry Bonds, Marion Jones and Shane Mosley.
Donaire bristled at the notion that he might be cheating or that Conte is doing anything illegal with him.
"People can doubt what they want," the 28-year-old Donaire said. "But I know I have nothing to hide. They can test me all they want. I'm totally clean.
"I always seek to be better, to be stronger. Victor knows that. I'm in better shape for this fight than before."
The two have been working together for 10 months after a mutual friend introduced them.
"If I work with somebody, I have to be 100 percent for him, and he has to be 100 percent for me," Conte told Yahoo! Sports. "We've gotten to that point, and there has been no doubt, no wavering about us working together."
In his previous fight, Donaire dominated Wladimir Sidorenko on Dec. 4, flooring the former WBA bantamweight champion in the second round and stopping him in the fourth.
Donaire looks even stronger since that fight. He credits a strength training program with one of Conte's coaches, Remi Korchemny. They have worked on Donaire's speed rather than focusing on endurance.
"It's all muscle twitch," Donaire said, explaining the sprint work he does rather than the traditional roadwork that most boxers do. "If you look at the way I fight, it's all a burst, all a sprint. I'm not there to run six miles. It's a fast muscle twitch. It's similar to how I punch in the ring."
Perhaps that's why Donaire said he wants to end the fight with a knockout rather than go all 12 rounds with Montiel. "I don't think it will get that far," Donaire said.
His boxing trainer, Robert Garcia, said he has Donaire ready for 12 rounds in case he can't stop Montiel earlier.
"I know Nonito has the power to knock out Montiel," Garcia said. "But we want him to fight a smart fight. We want him to wear (Montiel) down, pick him apart, then finish him."
A win would give Donaire a third world title in three weight classes. But win or lose, he probably won't be a bantamweight for much longer. Donaire has expressed interest in moving up to featherweight, then super featherweight and perhaps as heavy as lightweight, much the way Manny Pacquiao did.
"My body's still growing, even though I'm 28," said Donaire, who made the 118-pound limit at Friday's weigh-in, as did Montiel. "I think I can be comfortable fighting at a higher weight."
But for now Donaire's focus is on being the best bantamweight tonight at Mandalay Bay.
"(Montiel) is the most complete fighter I have ever faced and the smartest fighter I have ever faced," Donaire said. "One mistake from me or one mistake from him, and it's going to be over."
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
Source: lvrj.com
The Teddy Atlas Curse? -- Eastside Boxing
By Joseph Herron, Eastside Boxing
Every Friday night, whether or not they consist of plans which include going out or entertaining friends and family, I must watch the best show on television: Friday Night Fights. If that means recording the beloved ESPN program or breaking an engagement just to view it, I must get my weekly fix of Joe and Teddy. As boxing fans, we collectively have been watching Teddy Atlas on television for at least ten years, and for my money, there is no one better at color commentary than the Staten Island native. He has true passion for the sport and is a credit to the fight game. Teddy’s fight analysis is second to none and his enthusiasm is truly infectious.
But, one factor of Teddy’s character has continued to perplex a legion of boxing fans. Countless boxing die-hards have scratched their heads in amazement wondering, “How can a person this knowledgeable continue to be so wrong about the outcome of these fights?”
Teddy Atlas’s ring advice is genius, and his way of relaying that valuable boxing knowledge is brilliant:
“If you want to slow a speedy fighter down, go to the body and take some of the air out of the tires.”
“It looks like he’s found a home for that right hand.” “Of course, to get home he had to walk through a bad neighborhood!!”
“If he’s willing to take his opponent to a place he’s never been, to go through deep waters, he could get the W.”
“He needs that jab to set the table for the main course, which in this case would be that right uppercut.”
“He’s not turning his opponent; he’s letting him walk right through the front door. He can’t let him walk in and sit down; he needs to put his hands up.”
The boxing knowledge of Teddy Atlas never ceases to amaze or entertain the collective boxing universe.
Last night, Teddy Atlas gave us his traditional “pre-fight” analysis of the much anticipated “Nonito Donaire versus Fernando Montiel” bout on HBO, which airs tonight at 9:45 EST. His breakdown of what should happen was spot on. He outlined, in a very specific way, what each fighter needed to do in order to be victorious on Saturday night. After he was finished explaining and defining the strategies for the scheduled bout, it was time…time for the dreaded “Atlas Fight Prediction”, or better known as the “Teddy Atlas Curse”.
Who would he choose? He had to choose Donaire, right? I mean, Nonito had looked unbeatable as of late…no way would he choose Montiel, right? But wait…Fernando Montiel was a natural Bantamweight who was used to beating his opponents down at 118. Donaire has never fought a puncher who is this crafty and athletic. Who? Who would Teddy pick on this night?!!
Donaire? Oh no, Donaire fans…he chose Nonito on this episode of FNF. Well, all isn’t lost…he has been right on occasion…hasn’t he?
Wait a minute how many fight predictions has Teddy Atlas chosen incorrectly? How bad can he be?
Teddy picked Margarito over Pacquiao…Cotto over Margo…Goldie over Mayweather …Mosley over Cotto…Austin over Wlad K…Thompson over Klitschko…Byrd over Wlad K, really?…Mayorga over DLH, no way!!…Kessler over Calzaghe…Margo over Mosley, a lot of us did…Taylor over Pavlik …Pavlik over Hopkins…Jones Jr over Calzaghe, he didn’t!!...oh yes…wait, it gets better…Zab Judah over Mayweather and Miguel Cotto…Kermit Cintron over Antonio Margarito…Marco Antonio Barrera over Manny Pacquiao…twice…“the Baby Bull” over JMM…and “Barney Rubble” over “The Steel Hammer”.
Wow, no boxing expert can be wrong this often, can they?
Exactly…hence, the “Teddy Curse”!! He has to be cursing these fighters somehow…does he have some sort of deep, hidden fascination with the dark arts? Does he construct a voodoo doll before the big fight?
The world may never find out the truth, but until then…Teddy, keep on doing what you do. The boxing universe loves every second of it!!
Source: eastsideboxing.com
Every Friday night, whether or not they consist of plans which include going out or entertaining friends and family, I must watch the best show on television: Friday Night Fights. If that means recording the beloved ESPN program or breaking an engagement just to view it, I must get my weekly fix of Joe and Teddy. As boxing fans, we collectively have been watching Teddy Atlas on television for at least ten years, and for my money, there is no one better at color commentary than the Staten Island native. He has true passion for the sport and is a credit to the fight game. Teddy’s fight analysis is second to none and his enthusiasm is truly infectious.But, one factor of Teddy’s character has continued to perplex a legion of boxing fans. Countless boxing die-hards have scratched their heads in amazement wondering, “How can a person this knowledgeable continue to be so wrong about the outcome of these fights?”
Teddy Atlas’s ring advice is genius, and his way of relaying that valuable boxing knowledge is brilliant:
“If you want to slow a speedy fighter down, go to the body and take some of the air out of the tires.”
“It looks like he’s found a home for that right hand.” “Of course, to get home he had to walk through a bad neighborhood!!”
“If he’s willing to take his opponent to a place he’s never been, to go through deep waters, he could get the W.”
“He needs that jab to set the table for the main course, which in this case would be that right uppercut.”
“He’s not turning his opponent; he’s letting him walk right through the front door. He can’t let him walk in and sit down; he needs to put his hands up.”
The boxing knowledge of Teddy Atlas never ceases to amaze or entertain the collective boxing universe.
Last night, Teddy Atlas gave us his traditional “pre-fight” analysis of the much anticipated “Nonito Donaire versus Fernando Montiel” bout on HBO, which airs tonight at 9:45 EST. His breakdown of what should happen was spot on. He outlined, in a very specific way, what each fighter needed to do in order to be victorious on Saturday night. After he was finished explaining and defining the strategies for the scheduled bout, it was time…time for the dreaded “Atlas Fight Prediction”, or better known as the “Teddy Atlas Curse”.
Who would he choose? He had to choose Donaire, right? I mean, Nonito had looked unbeatable as of late…no way would he choose Montiel, right? But wait…Fernando Montiel was a natural Bantamweight who was used to beating his opponents down at 118. Donaire has never fought a puncher who is this crafty and athletic. Who? Who would Teddy pick on this night?!!
Donaire? Oh no, Donaire fans…he chose Nonito on this episode of FNF. Well, all isn’t lost…he has been right on occasion…hasn’t he?
Wait a minute how many fight predictions has Teddy Atlas chosen incorrectly? How bad can he be?
Teddy picked Margarito over Pacquiao…Cotto over Margo…Goldie over Mayweather …Mosley over Cotto…Austin over Wlad K…Thompson over Klitschko…Byrd over Wlad K, really?…Mayorga over DLH, no way!!…Kessler over Calzaghe…Margo over Mosley, a lot of us did…Taylor over Pavlik …Pavlik over Hopkins…Jones Jr over Calzaghe, he didn’t!!...oh yes…wait, it gets better…Zab Judah over Mayweather and Miguel Cotto…Kermit Cintron over Antonio Margarito…Marco Antonio Barrera over Manny Pacquiao…twice…“the Baby Bull” over JMM…and “Barney Rubble” over “The Steel Hammer”.
Wow, no boxing expert can be wrong this often, can they?
Exactly…hence, the “Teddy Curse”!! He has to be cursing these fighters somehow…does he have some sort of deep, hidden fascination with the dark arts? Does he construct a voodoo doll before the big fight?
The world may never find out the truth, but until then…Teddy, keep on doing what you do. The boxing universe loves every second of it!!
Source: eastsideboxing.com
Marco Antonio Barrera on Manny Pacquiao, Erik Morales, And More -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
LAS VEGAS -- On February 12, less than a month after his 37th birthday, five-time titlist Marco Antonio Barrera of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, scored a knockdown in each round on the way to a second-round stoppage of 43-year-old journeyman Jorge Arias of Providence, R.I.
The win represented the 44th knockout, and the 67th victory overall against seven losses for Barrera, who ended a nine-fight winning streak by Arias (15-2, nine KOs) that had included seven consecutive knockout wins for a man who was stopped for the first time in his career.
Barrera had ended a 15-month layoff with June's lightweight, unanimous decision over Brazil's Adailton De Jesus, his first opponent since losing a five-round, technical decision to current WBA junior welterweight (140 pounds) titlist Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) of England in March of 2009.
Barrera trailed Khan on all three cards when their fight was stopped -- this, after Barrera suffered a severe cut on the left side of his head following a clash of heads.
The Khan match would have been declared a no-contest if it had been stopped in the fourth round, automatically forcing a rematch. Barrera had been similarly cut following a clash of heads in his previous fight, a January, 2009, third-round disqualification victory over Freudis Rojas.
On Friday, Barrera was in attendance at the weigh-in at the Mandalay Bay Hotel for Saturday night's HBO televised bantamweight (118 pounds) championship clash featuring WBO and WBC titlist Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs), of Mexico, and, WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) king Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs), who are being promoted by Top Rank Promotions.
The 31-year-old Montiel and Barrera are 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) and Erik Morales (51-6, 35 KOs).
Montiel is riding an 11-0-1 unbeaten streak that includes nine knockouts, four straight stoppages and a mark of 5-0-1, with five knockouts in his past six fights. The 28-year-old Donaire, of the Philippines, enters his second-ever and second straight bantamweight match up in pursuit of his 25th straight victory and his 10th stoppage in his past 12 fights.
In April, Montiel trailed on the cards when he scored a 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.
Barrera is most known for winning two fights in his trilogy with Morales, one whose legendary status, for Mexicans, rivals the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. In addition, Barrera remains the only man to have defeated former WBO and IBF featherweight (126 pounds) King Prince Naseem Hamed of England, who was 35-0, with 31 knockouts before losing a unanimous decision to Barrera in April of 2001.
Always a warrior, Barrera has twice defeated Rocky Juarez, fallen by unanimous decision to Marquez, and lost, respectively, by 11th-round knockout and decision to eight-division king and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Manny Pacquiao (53-2-1, 38 KOs).
Barrera spoke to FanHouse concerning his legacy as well as his future in this Q&A.
Translated by Jaime Motta, ESPN International and ESPN Deportes
FanHouse: In what order would you rank the five Mexican champions who have won titles over three divisions?
Marco Antonio Barrera: Because of the way that they won them, Julio Cesar Chavez would be No. 1. Erik Morales would be No. 2, I would be No. 3, Juan Manuel Marquez would be four, and Fernando Montiel, fifth.
What do all of those five guys have in common in terms of their internal fortitude?
We're all very different. All five of us. In this case, Fernando Montiel, what he's got is hunger, experience and he's got to show to this time around that he is made for this type of fight.
He will have to prove that he is of the upper level with this fight.
Were you concerned prior to the Naseem Hamed fight that your conversion from a puncher to being more of a boxer would not be received well by your Mexican fans?
I realized in 2001 that I needed to change my style. After the loss to Erik Morales [in February of 2000,] I knew that if I wanted to stay in boxing, that I had to change my style.
I couldn't continue to keep getting hit as much as I did in that fight, and I had to change a little more to be able to last a little longer.
I thought about my fans a lot when I was training for the Naseem Hamed fight. I thought that people might be against me because I was going to try and box more.
But as things turned out, people really appreciated that I was able to give Naseem Hamed a boxing lesson. I did it by boxing, and from then on, I realized that, 'You know what? The fans like that I could box as well.'
So, for the rest of my career, I have basically been able to do that. And the fans stuck with me because, not only could I fight, but I could box as well.
What are your thoughts on the nickname of Manny Pacquiao, 'The Mexecutioner,' for his domination of Mexican fighters such as yourself, Eric Morales, and, Juan Manuel Marquez?
It's obvious that, since Montiel is Mexican and Donaire is from the Philippines, that Mexicans are going to go with Montiel even more for that reason because of the rivalry that has developed between those countries.
Montiel is not only Mexican, but he is one of the best Mexican fighters that Mexico has out there right now. But the rivalry is mainly due to Manny Pacquiao.
As far as Pacquiao, obviously he's he has earned the right to be called the Mexicutioner or whatever he wants to be called. Because not only has he beaten all Mexicans, but he's beaten guys from wherever.
He's beaten Americans and he has done it at lightweight [135 pounds,] welterweight [147 pounds,] and, at super welterweight [154 pounds,] so, he's got the name that he deserves.
When can we expect to see you in the ring once again?
First of all, I'm retiring in December. Regardless of what happens, I'm going to call it quits in December because I've spoken to my family about it.
For health reasons, I don't want to stick around in the sport and allow anything to happen to me. So, as I've said, I have spoken to my family, and we have decided that this is it, no matter what happens.
I will fight again in April, and then, after that, I will look to fight the winner between [WBA lightweight champion] Miguel Acosta and Brandon Rios.
So that's fight, hopefully, will come off in September. I don't have an opponent yet for April, but I'm still waiting for my promoter, Fernando Beltran, of Zanfer Promotions and Bob Arum to pick an opponent.
What are your thoughts on the notion that Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales was a trilogy similar in stature to Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier for Mexicans, and, do you still have any animosity toward Erik Morales?
I am very grateful and honored that people all over believe that the trilogy with Morales is considered on par with Ali-Frazier and other great trilogies.
I feel that that was a great part of my career, and as far as Morales, I am very grateful to Morales for helping us to be able to produce that kind of an exciting trilogy.
I only wish that Morales would recognize, as I do, that they were great fights and that we were great rivals. But it does not seem that Morales, up to this point, is willing to extend a hand out to me and to say the same thing.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
LAS VEGAS -- On February 12, less than a month after his 37th birthday, five-time titlist Marco Antonio Barrera of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, scored a knockdown in each round on the way to a second-round stoppage of 43-year-old journeyman Jorge Arias of Providence, R.I.
The win represented the 44th knockout, and the 67th victory overall against seven losses for Barrera, who ended a nine-fight winning streak by Arias (15-2, nine KOs) that had included seven consecutive knockout wins for a man who was stopped for the first time in his career.
Barrera had ended a 15-month layoff with June's lightweight, unanimous decision over Brazil's Adailton De Jesus, his first opponent since losing a five-round, technical decision to current WBA junior welterweight (140 pounds) titlist Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) of England in March of 2009.
Barrera trailed Khan on all three cards when their fight was stopped -- this, after Barrera suffered a severe cut on the left side of his head following a clash of heads.
The Khan match would have been declared a no-contest if it had been stopped in the fourth round, automatically forcing a rematch. Barrera had been similarly cut following a clash of heads in his previous fight, a January, 2009, third-round disqualification victory over Freudis Rojas.
On Friday, Barrera was in attendance at the weigh-in at the Mandalay Bay Hotel for Saturday night's HBO televised bantamweight (118 pounds) championship clash featuring WBO and WBC titlist Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs), of Mexico, and, WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) king Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs), who are being promoted by Top Rank Promotions.
The 31-year-old Montiel and Barrera are 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) and Erik Morales (51-6, 35 KOs).
Montiel is riding an 11-0-1 unbeaten streak that includes nine knockouts, four straight stoppages and a mark of 5-0-1, with five knockouts in his past six fights. The 28-year-old Donaire, of the Philippines, enters his second-ever and second straight bantamweight match up in pursuit of his 25th straight victory and his 10th stoppage in his past 12 fights.
In April, Montiel trailed on the cards when he scored a 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.
Barrera is most known for winning two fights in his trilogy with Morales, one whose legendary status, for Mexicans, rivals the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. In addition, Barrera remains the only man to have defeated former WBO and IBF featherweight (126 pounds) King Prince Naseem Hamed of England, who was 35-0, with 31 knockouts before losing a unanimous decision to Barrera in April of 2001.
Always a warrior, Barrera has twice defeated Rocky Juarez, fallen by unanimous decision to Marquez, and lost, respectively, by 11th-round knockout and decision to eight-division king and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Manny Pacquiao (53-2-1, 38 KOs).
Barrera spoke to FanHouse concerning his legacy as well as his future in this Q&A.
Translated by Jaime Motta, ESPN International and ESPN Deportes
FanHouse: In what order would you rank the five Mexican champions who have won titles over three divisions?
Marco Antonio Barrera: Because of the way that they won them, Julio Cesar Chavez would be No. 1. Erik Morales would be No. 2, I would be No. 3, Juan Manuel Marquez would be four, and Fernando Montiel, fifth.
What do all of those five guys have in common in terms of their internal fortitude?
We're all very different. All five of us. In this case, Fernando Montiel, what he's got is hunger, experience and he's got to show to this time around that he is made for this type of fight.
He will have to prove that he is of the upper level with this fight.
Were you concerned prior to the Naseem Hamed fight that your conversion from a puncher to being more of a boxer would not be received well by your Mexican fans?
I realized in 2001 that I needed to change my style. After the loss to Erik Morales [in February of 2000,] I knew that if I wanted to stay in boxing, that I had to change my style.
I couldn't continue to keep getting hit as much as I did in that fight, and I had to change a little more to be able to last a little longer.
I thought about my fans a lot when I was training for the Naseem Hamed fight. I thought that people might be against me because I was going to try and box more.
But as things turned out, people really appreciated that I was able to give Naseem Hamed a boxing lesson. I did it by boxing, and from then on, I realized that, 'You know what? The fans like that I could box as well.'
So, for the rest of my career, I have basically been able to do that. And the fans stuck with me because, not only could I fight, but I could box as well.
What are your thoughts on the nickname of Manny Pacquiao, 'The Mexecutioner,' for his domination of Mexican fighters such as yourself, Eric Morales, and, Juan Manuel Marquez?
It's obvious that, since Montiel is Mexican and Donaire is from the Philippines, that Mexicans are going to go with Montiel even more for that reason because of the rivalry that has developed between those countries.
Montiel is not only Mexican, but he is one of the best Mexican fighters that Mexico has out there right now. But the rivalry is mainly due to Manny Pacquiao.
As far as Pacquiao, obviously he's he has earned the right to be called the Mexicutioner or whatever he wants to be called. Because not only has he beaten all Mexicans, but he's beaten guys from wherever.
He's beaten Americans and he has done it at lightweight [135 pounds,] welterweight [147 pounds,] and, at super welterweight [154 pounds,] so, he's got the name that he deserves.
When can we expect to see you in the ring once again?
First of all, I'm retiring in December. Regardless of what happens, I'm going to call it quits in December because I've spoken to my family about it.
For health reasons, I don't want to stick around in the sport and allow anything to happen to me. So, as I've said, I have spoken to my family, and we have decided that this is it, no matter what happens.
I will fight again in April, and then, after that, I will look to fight the winner between [WBA lightweight champion] Miguel Acosta and Brandon Rios.
So that's fight, hopefully, will come off in September. I don't have an opponent yet for April, but I'm still waiting for my promoter, Fernando Beltran, of Zanfer Promotions and Bob Arum to pick an opponent.
What are your thoughts on the notion that Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales was a trilogy similar in stature to Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier for Mexicans, and, do you still have any animosity toward Erik Morales?
I am very grateful and honored that people all over believe that the trilogy with Morales is considered on par with Ali-Frazier and other great trilogies.
I feel that that was a great part of my career, and as far as Morales, I am very grateful to Morales for helping us to be able to produce that kind of an exciting trilogy.
I only wish that Morales would recognize, as I do, that they were great fights and that we were great rivals. But it does not seem that Morales, up to this point, is willing to extend a hand out to me and to say the same thing.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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