Donaire punches his way to stardom -- FOX Sports

By Allen Trieu, FOX Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What’s next is anybody. “

Source: msn.foxsports.com

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

By Rick Rockwell, Examiner.com

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

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

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

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

Who do you readers have as your Top 5 P4P?

Source: examiner.com

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

By Bart Barry, 15Rounds.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: 15rounds.com

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

By Carl Guevara, 8CountNews.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The future of boxing is alive and well my friends.

Source: 8countnews.com

Shall We Dare To Compare? -- The Sweet Science

By Alex McClintock, The Sweet Science

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: thesweetscience.com

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

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A statistic.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: eastsideboxing.com

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

By Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: lasvegassun.com

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

By Vittorio Tafur, San Francisco Chronicle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: sfgate.com

Donaire rocks Montiel, turns heads -- Yahoo! Sports

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Nonito Donaire Stops Fernando Montiel In Second Round -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now it appears that Donaire will continue that run.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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

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

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

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

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

Montiel, Donaire battle for supremacy -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

LAS VEGAS -- The fight poster that adorns the light boxes throughout Mandalay Bay advertises the much-anticipated showdown between unified bantamweight titleholder Fernando Montiel and top-10 pound-for-pound fighter Nonito Donaire. Near the top, above their photos and under the words "World Championship," the poster reads, in big, bold letters: "Mexico vs. The Philippines."

Besides crowning the top bantamweight in the world, the fight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday night (HBO, 9:45 ET/PT) is all about nationalistic pride in the latest installment of a growing rivalry between the boxing-mad countries.

"This fight between Nonito Donaire and Fernando Montiel -- everybody who follows boxing knows it will be a great fight, but the interesting thing for me about this fight [is] the countries where these fighters come from, the Philippines and Mexico," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "There is almost frenzy about this fight. I was informed that in the Philippines there are two one-hour [television] specials promoting the fight, and they are expecting a huge audience on Sunday morning, which is their time equivalent of when the fight will be aired.

"In Mexico, there is tremendous anticipation and great media coverage. It is my hope that the enthusiasm that is coming from the Philippines and Mexico permeates in the United States, that people that follow boxing and casual sports fans watch this fight on HBO because it truly will be a great fight for the sport of boxing."

In the co-feature, Philadelphia welterweight Mike Jones (23-0, 18 KOs) meets Mexico's Jesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3, 16 KOs) in a rematch of Jones' majority decision win on Nov. 13 on the pay-per-view undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito fight at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

One of boxing's greatest rivalries has been Mexico-Puerto Rico, which has produced numerous classics in recent decades. But the Mexico-Philippines rivalry is newer. It has its roots in pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao's rise to the top of the sport over the past several years.

Although there have been recent title matches between Filipinos and Mexicans -- the Philippines' Gerry Penalosa against Jhonny Gonzalez and Daniel Ponce De Leon, for example -- it has been Pacquiao who has rolled over one Mexican after another, leading many to dub him "The Mexecutioner."

Just look at the list of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans whom Pacquiao has beaten, mostly in utterly dominant fashion: Antonio Margarito, Oscar De La Hoya, David Diaz, Marco Antonio Barrera (twice), Jorge Solis, Oscar Larios and Hector Velazquez. And Pacquiao is also 1-0-1 against Juan Manuel Marquez and 2-1 against Erik Morales.

Montiel is well-aware of Pacquiao's dominant record against his countrymen and is looking for a little get-back, even if it comes against a friend. Montiel and Donaire, who used to train together, are buddies outside the ring.

"Definitely, with Pacquiao fighting so many Mexicans, he created this rivalry," Montiel said through translator Ricardo Jimenez of Top Rank following Thursday's final news conference. "I look forward to fighting a good Filipino fighter. I want to get even for all the ones Pacquiao has beaten. So I want to get in there and get some wins for us."

Donaire, of course, hopes to continue the dominance of Pacquiao, his boxing idol.

"[The rivalry is] good news for boxing," Donaire said. "Me and Montiel are good friends, but in that ring we are proud of who we are, me being a Filipino and Montiel being a Mexican. We are proud of who we are. The rivalry is healthy for boxing. It's good for boxing. The Mexican fighters are our biggest rival."

Said Montiel: "I know the rivalry is getting better as [the Filipino] fighters are getting better. There is a little extra motivation there. I think both countries, the Philippines and Mexico, want to see their guys win. They are both behind their fighters, and a victory for either side would be important."

If Pacquiao is the No. 1 Filipino fighter -- and there is no doubt about that -- then Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs), who moved to the San Francisco Bay area when he was 10, is clearly No. 2.

"The face of boxing today is Manny Pacquiao and he comes for the Philippines, but right behind him in the Philippines is a man who comes from the same city as Pacquiao, General Santos, and is becoming more and more endeared to the Philippine fans," Arum said of Donaire.

Montiel (43-2-2, 33 KOs), one of five Mexican fighters to win world titles in three weight divisions, is Mexico's No. 2 active fighter behind lightweight champion Marquez.

Montiel would like to become the first Mexican to win a title in a fourth weight class. With a win against Donaire, he will consider looking to the junior featherweight division for the opportunity.

Montiel, 31, unified bantamweight belts last April when he went to Japan and, as the underdog, rallied for a fourth-round knockout of well-respected longtime titleholder Hozumi Hasegawa, who has since moved up in weight and claimed a featherweight belt.

But Donaire, 28, is another formidable opponent. The former flyweight titleholder lost his second pro fight in 2001 and hasn't lost since as he worked his way up the pound-for-pound list with several impressive victories, such as his flyweight title-winning knockout of Vic Darchinyan in 2007 and his fourth-round destruction of former bantamweight titlist Wladimir Sidorenko in December.

"He did impress me," Montiel said of Donaire's domination of Sidorenko. "He looked really great against Sidorenko, but I'm not Sidorenko. Sidorenko just stood there in front of him, and I think you have to take that into consideration too. I am not going to be standing in front of him. I'm going to be moving around and I'll be doing my job too. I think our styles match real well and it's going to be a good fight.

"He is obviously a fighter that has a lot of speed. He moves around the ring and is an intelligent fighter. The question to me is what is going to happen when he fights a guy that is just as intelligent, just as strong and just as good as he is? That is the question -- when he fights someone that is equal to him. I think it's the first time he will find a fighter that is just as good as he is."

While Montiel aspires to make Mexican boxing history by eventually winning a belt in a fourth weight class, Donaire aspires to the accomplishments of Pacquiao, who has won titles in a record eight weight classes.

Donaire won his first title at flyweight, the same division as Pacquiao.

"He is definitely an inspiration in my career -- an inspiration in boxing and how I want to be," Donaire said of Pacquiao. "I am inspired to see no impossibility. To get to 130 pounds or even more. To keep going. That's what he wants me to do, keep moving my feet to see how far I can go."

If Donaire wins, he said he also will probably move up in weight to try to get the most out of his ability and to continue his attempt at following in Pacquiao's footsteps.

He said he loves when he is mentioned along with Pacquiao.

"I embrace it. Manny Pacquiao is one of the greatest in the history of boxing," Donaire said. "What he has accomplished is incredible and beyond a lot of people. For me to even be compared to him or be [ranked] behind him, that's a great thing. That's an achievement.

"I'm going to try my best to win as many titles as I can. Manny keeps me hungry, he keeps me going, and it keeps me motivated to keep fighting and seek the best out there and be the best."

And Donaire sure wouldn't mind if he fulfilled those goals against Mexican fighters.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Nonito Donaire: Manny Pacquiao's Pride Prohibits Being Tested -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

LAS VEGAS -WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king Manny Pacquiao might have submitted to drug testing, no problem, for a mega bout against anyone but pound-for-pound rival Floyd Mayweather -- at least that is what Pacquiao's Filipino countryman, Nonito Donaire, believes.

"I think that that it was about pride. I think that it's just because it's Floyd Mayweather asking him to do it," said Donaire. "If other people had asked him beforehand, he probably would have done it."

A former WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) titlist, Donaire (25-1, 17 knockouts) made his comments following a Wednesday workout at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas, where Donaire was gearing up for Saturday night's HBO televised, Top Rank Promotions bantamweight (118 pounds) clash against WBO and WBC king Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs) of Mexico at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) became the source of speculation, by some, of alleged use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) resulting from his ability to rise in weight and retain power, a notion that was highlighted following the twice-failed negotiations to make a bout between him and Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) over the issue of Olympic style drug testing of both blood and urine.

Pacquiao refused to give in to the demands of Mayweather, who insisted on random testing all the way up to and after the fight, as opposed to Pacquiao's contending for testing based on a 14-day window prior to the fight.

"If it was Fernando Montiel who told me to take a test, I would think, 'Why would you want me to do it?'" said Donaire.

"I would think that he was just trying to play with my head," said Donaire. "I think that's how Manny sees it, like, 'Why would you tell me to do it?' I think that that's what it all comes down to. I think that a lot of it is pride."

In November, Pacquiao won a record eighth crown by unanimous decision over ex-champion Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) for the WBC's junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt, and Donaire has indicated that he would like to pursue similar glory by climbing weight classes.

Donaire is coming off of December's fourth-round knockout of Volodymyr Sydorenko (22-2-2, seven KOs), a man who never had been stopped before suffering a broken nose and being floored three times by Donaire.

Donaire credited his new-found energy, speed, and, power, against Sydorenko to controversial former BALCO founder Victor Conte, who will be in his third fight as Donaire's nutritionist entering his fight with Montiel.

Conte was once committed to "helping athletes to circumvent" Olympic-style drug testing policies such as those executed by United States Anti-Doping Agency until BALCO was raided in 2003, causing him to be imprisoned for a short time.

Since then, however, Conte has made a new life of training and supplying athletes with legal supplements, one of those athletes being Donaire.

As a result of his association with Conte, Donaire said that he must be willing to voluntarily submit to drug-testing at any time.

"For me, that's just how I have to do it, and I would take the test because I work with Victor. That's why I'm so willing to take it," said Donaire.

"I have Victor with me. I have my name and his name, and I have to prove that we're legit," said Donaire. "But if I wasn't working with Victor, and my opponent tells me to take the test, I would be like, 'Screw you. I'm not going to take it. You take it.'"

Pacquiao has named Mayweather, his uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and both Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya -- the CEO and President, respectively, of Golden Boy Promotions -- in a suit which seeks compensatory and punitive damages for defamation of character for their alleged accusations of steroid use by Pacquiao.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Donaire hopes win vs. Montiel will be springboard to fame -- USA Today

By Bob Velin, USA TODAY

The best Filipino fighter this side of Manny Pacquiao takes to the ring Saturday night for what is expected to be the toughest challenge of his career.

Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs) will try to take the WBO and WBC bantamweight title belts that belong to his opponent, Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs) of Mexico, in a scheduled 12-round bout at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas (HBO live, 9:45 p.m. ET).

Donaire, who is from the same city in the Philippines as Pacquiao —General Santos City— but moved to the USA when he was 10, has knockout power he has demonstrated on several occasions.

U.S. fans first witnessed that power in Donaire's shocking one-punch (left hook), fifth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Vic Darchinyan at 112 pounds (flyweight) in 2007.

Last December, in his most recent display, Donaire disposed of Ukrainian Wladimir Sidorenko in four rounds, dropping him twice before the final KO, a left-hook counterpunch that showed viewers why his nickname is "the Flash." Sidorenko never saw the punch coming, and it left his face a bloody mess.

Donaire, 28, who has not lost since his second professional fight a decade ago, says he thinks a victory in this fight will finally propel him to the stardom that has eluded him since the Darchinyan KO. He figures it didn't happen then because fans were skeptical and some thought it might have been a fluke.

"My marketability will skyrocket. My name will get bigger and I will get bigger fights," Donaire says. "People will come after me because that's what happens when you're on top. My name is in the top pound-for-pound lists and no one can take that away from me after I beat Montiel."

Montiel, 31, is a savvy veteran who has been fighting professionally since he was 16 and has not lost since 2006. He is coming off a second-round stoppage of Jovanny Soto last December.

Montiel acknowledges that he and Donaire are friends and says he was impressed by Donaire's win against Sidorenko.

"But I'm not Sidorenko," says Montiel. "Sidorenko just stood there in front of him. I am not going to be standing in front of him. I'm going to be moving around and I'll be doing my job, too. I think our styles match real well and it's going to be a good fight."

Like his friend Pacquiao, a champion in a record eight weight divisions, Donaire hopes to keep moving up in weight.

"Right now I am not even touching the weights and I am blowing up to 135 (pounds) if I don't take care of myself for even just a few days," says Donaire, who will fight Montiel at 118 pounds. "I think I can fight as heavy as 130 or 135 because of how much bigger I have become."

Montiel is not so sure Donaire will be as good or as quick at the heavier weights.

"He is a good fighter but I think he was better at either 112 or 115," says Montiel. "We'll see how good he is at 118 and that will show in the ring."

On the televised undercard is a rematch of one of the top fights of 2010 — welterweights Mike Jones (23-0, 18 KOs) of Philadelphia against Jesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3, 16 KOs). Jones scored a close and controversial majority decision against Soto-Karass last November on the Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard.

Source: usatoday.com