Donaire options varied and exciting

We had described in last week’s column, Saturday’s (Sunday in Manila) title bout between Nonito Donaire Jr. and Fernando Montiel as “very tough”. Everyone had expected a difficult fight since Donaire was to face a tough Mexican who was, after all, defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight titles.

Before the fight, Donaire said that a mistake by either protagonist could spell the difference between victory and defeat. He was right.

Montiel was quoted by Lem Satterfield of USA Today as having said, “I knew coming in that we both had the power to knock each other out. I made a mistake and I paid for it.”

In the same article, Satterfield says that Donaire told his trainer, Robert Garcia, during a Christmas season workout that “he felt he could score a second-round knockout against the savvy Mexican champion Montiel.”

Fighting as a bantamweight only for the second time, Donaire, 28, former WBA interim super flyweight, International Boxing Federation and International Boxing Organization flyweight titlist, produced his 25th consecutive victory through a second round technical knockout over the 31-year old Montiel who walked into a devastating, picture-perfect left hook in the second round.

Montiel’s end began with a left hook that landed on the side of his head. This was followed by a right hand as the Mexican started to fall to the canvas. Seconds earlier, Montiel had tried to spear Donaire with a right straight which was still on its way as this column is being written and before Montiel’s slow right could go back to its original position before he threw the punch, Donaire sneaked in his left hook. Montiel had left himself open and paid dearly for it. The wicked punch had a tremendous snap to it as it had Donaire’s whole shoulders and waist behind it.

There were anxious moments as Montiel lay on the canvas with his twitching legs instantly reminding us of similar knockouts suffered by Swedish heavyweight Ingemar Johansson against Floyd Patterson and, more recently, the knockout inflicted by Manny Pacquiao on Briton Ricky Hatton, also in the second round in Las Vegas.

When Montiel miraculously rose from the canvas and referee Russell Mora surprisingly allowed the defending champion to continue, Donaire, in a rare show of excitement, went after the Mexican and landed a left that staggered Montiel again. This time, Mora thought Montiel had enough and wisely stopped the carnage.

Donaire told Satterfield that “I had a premonition that this would happen. I told (Garcia) in camp before Christmas that it would be a second-round knockout.”

Fightnews.com reported that Donaire stated during the post-fight press conference that “the (Vic) Darchinyan punch was pretty sweet, but this was the hardest punch of my career. I was so surprised he got up – I put everything behind that punch. It was the hardest one I ever threw in my life.” Fightnews.com also reported that Montiel was unavailable for comment, having skipped the presscon for routine medical tests at the University Medical Center following his worst loss in a long career.

Donaire is now 26-1 with 18 KOs tucked under his two championship belts while Montiel went down to 44-3-2, 34 KOs).

What’s next for Donaire? The possibilities are both legion and exciting.

There’s the prospect of unifying the belts. The unbeaten (21-0-1, 13 KOs) 25-year-old Abner Mares of Mexico, IBO and WBC silver belt titlist, will face Ghana’s 30-year-old Joseph Agbeko (28-2-1, 13 KOs) on April 23 in a Showtime televised bout at the Nokia Center in Los Angeles.

Mares defeated Vic Darchinyan on Dec. 11, 2010 by split decision to claim the two titles he now holds. As an amateur fighter with a record of 112-8, 84 KOs, Mares can also lay claim to the distinction of winning the bantamweight gold medal at the Central American Games in 2002 over Panama’s Juanma Lopez.

Agbeko won the IBF bantamweight title from Luis Alberto Perez on Sept. 29, 2007. The Ghanaian successfully defended his IBF title scoring a unanimous decision over Darchinyan only to lose it to undefeated Columbian challenger Yonnhy Perez by unanimous decision.

Another possible opponent is Panama’s Anselmo Moreno (30-1-1, 10 KOs) who holds the WBA title. The 25-year-old southpaw defends his title against Lorenzo Parra on Feb. 26.

Donaire could face any of the three although that is highly doubtful since the Fiipino Flash has said the Montiel fight is his last as a bantamweight.

 At 122 pounds (super bantamweight), Donaire could go after Canadian southpaw Steve Molitor’s ( 33-1, 12 KOs) IBF super bantamweight title. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (20-0-1, 17 KOs), who wears the WBO crown is another possible opponent.

The opportunities are there and it’s up to Donaire to strike while the iron is hot.