Donaire, Montiel cerebral fighters

“Very tough” are the words to describe the fight of Nonito Donaire Jr. on Feb. 19 (Feb. 20 in the Philippines) at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas against Mexican Fernando Montiel for the latter’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight titles.

The 28-year old Donaire who once held the World Boxing Association (WBA) super flyweight interim, International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight world titles, himself says so.

In an interview with BoxingScene.com, Donaire (25-1, 17 by KO) admitted that “Montiel is the most complete fighter I will have faced. He’s the smartest guy I have ever faced. I have faced tougher guys than that. As far as the smartest, I would say he is the most strategic fighter. “

The fight with the 31-year old Montiel (44-2-2, 34) is going to be, according to Donaire, “a more strategic fight. It’s going to be a long fight. One mistake from me or one mistake from him, and it’s going to be over. .. I am training hard as I can to see how I can take advantage of Montiel. He has a lot to offer in this fight.”

Despite the odds which favor him (between 2:1 and 3:1), Donaire is extremely cautious. After all, Montiel has beaten all Filipino pugilists he has faced, and more importantly, he is one among five Mexican fighters who have world titles in three divisions. The four other Mexicans are Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. The last three have all been victims of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.

Montiel, who goes by the nickname Cochulito (The Rooster), is no stranger to Filipino fight fans precisely because he has taken the better of all Filipinos ranged against him. Montiel took out Roy Doliguez in the second round to retain his WBO super flyweight title on Jan. 18, 2001 in the former’s hometown of Siniloa. On Feb. 24, 2007, Montiel successfully defended his WBO title by split decision over Z Gorres at the Cebu City Sports Complex.

The Montiel who almost lost to Gorres four years ago, is not the same Montiel who will face Donaire in a few days. In that fight with Gorres, Montiel seemed to have trouble with his footwork and looked off-balanced and awkward several times in the 12-round fight which he won only in the later rounds when Gorres appeared to have lost steam. Gorres was penalized by a point deduction for holding in the later stages.

The last Filipino Montiel fought (on Feb. 13, 2010 at Las Vegas Hilton), Ciso Morales, was clearly overmatched. The Filipino just seemed to be too raw and unprepared to meet a veteran like Montiel who finished Morales with his patent combination of a right to the head and a left to the midsection. Morales was counted out at 2:06 of the first round, grimacing in pain in the canvas and clutching his midsection a second after Montiel’s left landed. Morales didn’t immediately feel the impact of Montiel’s punch when it hit him – he felt it a second later and crumpled to the canvas, as if it were an afterthought.

Barely three months after finishing Morales, Montiel knocked out Japan’s Hozumi Hazegawa on April 30, 2010, in Tokyo in the fourth round. Hazegawa had been WBC bantamweight champion for five years and Montiel’s victory unified the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles.

Three months later, on July 17, 2010, Montiel scored a third round knockout over the rugged Rafael Concepcion. Montiel dropped Concepcion twice in the second round before finishing him in the third round with a right to the jaw. It must be noted that Concepcion lasted the distance with Donaire when they locked horns on Aug. 15, 2009 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. With the victory over Concepcion, Donaire won the WBA super flyweight interim world title.

Undoubtedly, the fight between Donaire and Montiel promises to be one of the most exciting bouts this year. Both are ranked among the top 10 world’s best pound-for-pound fighters. Both are technically sound and can be considered cerebral fighters who have the courage and strength to mix it up when needed.

Unlike Pacquiao and a host of other highly-rated boxers, both Donaire and Montiel do not pepper and overwhelm their opponents with punches coming from different directions: they both go for accuracy and quality, rather than quantity and volume, which will not please those who prefer slam bang, non-stop action. The two have quick hand speed and are agile and quick on their feet. They tend to punch in bunches, using combinations to impose their will.

It will be an interesting fight which Donaire ought to win.