ROACH PRAISES DONAIRE BUT WARNS THAT MONTIEL FIGHT IS 50-50
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 16 Dec 2010
Trainer Freddie Roach who watched Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire (25-1, 17 KO?s) annihilate former WBA bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko to score a 4th round knockout after dropping the Ukrainian three times, breaking his nose and turning his face into a bloody mess said he was impressed with Donaire?s performance last December 4 but warned that Fernando Montiel is a much tougher foe.
Roach told the Inquirer that the much awaited showdown against WBVC/WBO champion Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KO?s) of Mexico will be a much harder fight since he (Donaire) is ?going in there with a much more experienced fighter in Montiel and he?s going to have to come up with a little more than one game-plan for the fight.?
Roach said ?it?s a terrific fight and very evenly matched and its 50-50. The fight can go either way.?
Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao?s trainer said against Sidorenko, Donaire ?looked great. He was much too big and much too strong for Sidorenko but he looked great in the fight. He went out there are did his job.?
Roach said ?he had a great counter hook and every time he (Sidorenko) threw a right hand he hit him with a counter-hook and hurt him. It was a great shot and its his money shot.?
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who is staging the Donaire-Montiel title fight at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino said the fight ?is already being touted as the ?Fight of the Year? for 2011. That?s going to be great.?
He said ?both fighters are awfully confident, it?s a Mexican against the Filipino, its going to be very, very exciting and people are going to see a real action fight.?
Montiel scored a 2nd round stoppage of Jovanny ?Bambino? Soto in a ten round tune-up fight in Mexico and immediately after the victory sent Donaire a message saying ?I felt very strong. Soto is strong but I came to win and I?m ready for Donaire.?
Soto lost by a 9th round TKO to world-rated AJ ?Bazooka? Banal in a WBO Asia Pacific Youth super flyweight title on December 2, 2007.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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