DONAIRE SR CONFIDENT CISO MORALES WILL BEAT MONTIEL
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 01 Jan 2010
Trainer Nonito Donaire Sr whose reputation is growing following successful world title bids by “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona and Johnreil Casimiro after the IBF/IBO title belts won by his son Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in July 2007 with a 5th round KO of Vic Darchinyan, is confident that young Ciso “Kid Terrible” Morales will beat WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel of Mexico in the “Pinoy Power III” fight card at the Las Vegas Hilton on February 13.
Donaire Sr who is scheduled to leave for Los Angeles on January 2 with Casimiro and Sonsona to step up training at the Kennel Gym in San Carlos, California said he had worked with Morales on the punch-mitts last Tuesday at the IPI Gym in Mandaue, Cebu and he was “doing good.”
Donaire said he was impressed with Morales “who is a fighter and someone who listens and his family is backing him up” which also helps.
The elite trainer said that Morales has “good punching power but needs to throw combinations” which is what they are working on right now.
Donaire also believes that the 30 year old Montiel (39-2-2, 29 KO’s) is fading and that the younger 21 year old Morales who he believes hits harder than Montiel has a good chance of winning the title in their “Pinoy Power III” clash which will be telecast in the Philippines by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN.
Morales won the vacant WBO Oriental and WBO Asia Pacific Youth super bantamweight titles with a unanimous ten round decision over tough Indonesian Marangin Marbun on February 9, 2008 and went on to defend the Oriental title successfully three times.
In his last fight Morales scored a hard-fought eight round majority decision over Miguel Angel Gonzalez Piedras at Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada on November 21, 2009.
Morales won the WBO bantamweight interim title with a 3rd round knockout over Diego Oscar Silva on March 28, 2009 was then held to a third round technical draw against Alejandro Valdez on September 12, 2009.
Montiel is best remembered by Filipino fight fans for his controversial twelve round split decision win over classy Z” The Dream” Gorres in a super flyweight title defense in Cebu on February 24, 2007 before some 25,000 fans.
Morales emerged as an acceptable substitute for Gorres after the southpaw underwent brain surgery following a rousing ten round decision over Colombia’s Luis Melendez last November 13 in the Mandalay Bay House of Blues, the same fighter who dropped Montiel but eventually lost on a twelfth round TKO in a title fight.
Gorres’s stable-mate Michael Domingo was suggested as a replacement for the stricken fighter but Top Rank’s “Hall-of-Fame” matchmaker Bruce Trampler said the Montiel camp declined to face Domingo.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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