LAS VEGAS – Filipino bantamweight Nonito Donaire Jr. puts his 24-fight win streak on the line when he battles Mexican champion Fernando Montiel in a world title fight Saturday at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Donaire is seeking to take two titles from the 31-year-old Montiel who holds the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization belts.
Las Vegas oddmakers have tabbed Donaire as the favorite to win in the first 118-pound main event on HBO television in four years.
Montiel has been a world champion since 1999 and has a record of 44-2-2 with 34 knockouts.
Montiel is only the fourth Mexican boxer to capture world titles in three different divisions, next to his idol and the legendary Julio Caesar Chavez.
Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs) comes from General Santos City – the same hometown as Manny Pacquiao. He beat Ukrainian Wladimiro Sidorenko in his last fight to extend his win streak to 24 fights.
The 28-year-old former world flyweight champion, who is comfortable throwing punches with either hand, wobbled Sidorenko just 75 seconds into the fight with a powerful right and the stinging left hook combination.
His resume also includes a 2007 win over dual Aussie/Armenian champion Vic Darchinyan. (AFP)
Meanwhile, the Donaire-Montiel match will be aired live by ABS-CBN Sports at 10:15 a.m. on ABS-CBN Channel 2.
Dubbed “Ang Pagtutuos,” the Donaire-Montiel fight is the first world title fight for 2011.
Donaire, a US-based native of General Santos City, puts on the line his nine-year, 24-bout winning streak when he challenges Montiel, a three-division world champion who has been undefeated since 2006.
Donaire will not be the only Filipino boxer competing on Sunday as Mark Jason Melligen faces Mexican Gabriel Martinez. Dubbed “Mighty Melligen,” the 24-year-old light middleweight has won all of his four fights last year, three of which were held in Las Vegas.
The card also features the much-awaited rematch between Mike Jones and Jesus Soto-Karass who first dueled last Nov. 13 in the Pacquiao-Margarito fight. Jones’ narrowly escaped a draw with a mere one-point margin victory over the Mexican.
source: philstar.com
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