MALDONADO A GREAT UNDERDOG AGAINST DONAIRE
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 30 Nov 2007
Luis ?Titi? Maldonado (37-1-1, 28 KOs) is from Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The 29-year-old challenger switches stance easily from an orthodox fighter to a southpaw depending on the fighting style of his opponent.
Maldonado is a boxer puncher who can land his jab and set-up his combinations. He has 28 KO wins in his professional record, but most of those victories came against unremarkable Mexican opponents.
Since losing his title bid to Darchinyan, Maldonado has strung together four straight wins but two of the victories came against mediocre fighters with less the 50%-win records. In his last bout in October, Maldonado scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Sergio Espinoza (14-4-1, 5 KOs) in an IBF title eliminator. Before that, he scored a fourth round TKO over Jorge Romero (7-34-1, 16 KOs), and won over Antonio Garibay (2-8, 1 KO) by 5th round KO, and Javier Torres (10-18-1, 7 KOs) by 4th round TKO.
In June 2006, Maldonado was stopped by the then IBF flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan, on an 8th round TKO. The southpaw Darchinyan was persistent from the opening bell and suffocated Maldonado with a spray of punches.
Darchinyan dropped Maldonado for the first time in his professional career in the 6th canto, and repeatedly hammered away with brutal left hands that worn out the durable Mexican around the ring. With Maldonado unable to retaliate and Darchinyan repeatedly boring the challenger with vicious strikes in the 8th, referee Joe Cortez had finally seen enough and he mercifully ended the massacre with the challenger still standing at the 1:38 of the round.
Maldonado has a very powerful chin and he is a gallant fighter. Despite sucking a lot of fists from Darchinyan during their encounter, he was untiring in chasing the champion. He loves to bang it out in close quarters and he is considered to be a very successful body puncher.
Maldonado's defense though is typical and while he is busy hitting on the inside he can be easily get thumped. Maldonado hit the canvas for the first time against Darchinyan and Donaire has more knockout power. The ?Filipino Flash? is even a younger, stronger and quicker opponent.
Donaire is coming off one of the biggest ?Upsets of the Year,? when he scored a fifth round knockout over the previously undefeated IBF/IBO champion "The Raging Bull" Darchinyan. Nonito has a lot of arsenal in his hands and he is very successful with left hand counter punches. He can connect crunchy combinations that can unnerve his adversary. Donaire?s exhilarating right cross and thundering left hooks will diminish Maldonado?s flamboyance. It will be Donaire by TKO in the 6th or 7th round.
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