Sunday, February 20, 2011

Nonito Donaire crushes Fernando Montiel, bags bantamweight crowns

The "Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire now barges into superstardom after a sensational win against Mexican world champion Fernando Montiel in a batamweight fight held on February 19 (February 20, Philippine Time), 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Donaire finished off the fight early by landing a devastating counter left hook to the head that sent Montiel on his back, legs twitching, two minutes into the second round. The then undefeated Montiel got up but Donaire went for the kill prompting the referee to stop the bout at the round's 2:25 mark.

"I needed to be strong but it was the speed that was the key. He left himself open and that gave me the advantage," Donaire said. "I was surprised he got up after I landed that flush shot.", the new champion added.

According to Top Rank promotions via Twitter, Montiel "was sent to the hospital to be checked due to the way he was knocked out."

The technical knockout win hailed Donaire as the new WBO and WBC bantamweight champ.

After this 25th consecutive win, the 28 year-old Donaire improved his record to 26-1 with 18 KOs. While, Montiel fell to 44-3-2.