Donaire fights for fame vs Montiel

CEBU, Philippines - Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire, Jr. faces the biggest challenge in his career as he takes on the dreaded Mexican knockout artist Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel for the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles today in the main event of Top Rank’s “Latin Fury 13/Pinoy Power3” at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs) will try to strengthen his name as one of the great Filipino boxers by dethroning the hard-punching Mexican champion (42-2-2, 33 KOs).

At the final weigh-in yesterday, Donaire stepped on the scale showing excellent shape, weighing in at the division limit of 118 lbs. in the same way with Montiel.

Instead of feeling the pressure in facing the most crucial bout of his career, Donaire, one of the Philippines ultra-skilled warriors, felt vindicated for this fight that he had worried for years that it would never come.

“I’m relieved that finally it’s there,” he said. “I’m really hungry for this fight. This is the biggest fight of my career so for me, it’s an all or nothing mentality I have. So there’s no fear in any part of my body because I have something to prove and I’m trying to belong,” Donaire told maxboxing.com.

Aside from Armenian Vic Darchinyan whom he destroyed via fifth round TKO to capture the IBF and IBO flyweight diadems four years ago, Donaire’s boxing resume lacked any real quality opponents and now is the time for the Filipino fighter to show that he belongs to the ranks of the world’s finest fighters.

But Montiel is expected to provide Donaire a tough fight and will do anything to score an impressive second defense of his unified 118-pound belts, both of which he won one after the other last year with sensational victories over Filipino Ciso Morales and former WBC champion Hozumi Hasegawa of Japan.

Montiel who will come to the fight as an underdog against the 2-1 favorite Donaire, vows to win not only for himself but also to bring pride to Mexico.

 “I was the underdog last year (against Hasegawa), and I came out victorious," said the native of Los Mochis, Mexico.

In the same fight card, US-based ALA fighter “Mighty” Mark Jason Melligen will slug it out with Mexican Gabriel Martinez.

After months of preparation at the ALA Gym together with his trainer Tony Martin, Melligen is eager to make an impression against Martinez to secure his future with the Top Rank Promotions.

The Donaire-Montiel match will be aired live by ABS-CBN Sports at 10:15 am. (FREEMAN)