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

abs-cbnNEWS.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

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

By Bart Barry, 15Rounds.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: 15rounds.com

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

By Carl Guevara, 8CountNews.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The future of boxing is alive and well my friends.

Source: 8countnews.com

Shall We Dare To Compare? -- The Sweet Science

By Alex McClintock, The Sweet Science

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: thesweetscience.com

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

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A statistic.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com