Nonito Donaire stops Fernando Montiel
One shot. That’s all it took for Nonito Donaire to state his case as being boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighter with a second-round TKO of Fernando Montiel at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night.
The first blow, a vicious counter left hand from nowhere floored Montiel (44-3). Donaire didn’t let up and went after Montiel as soon as he got back up, but the fight was stopped seconds later, 2:25 seconds of round two. With the win, Donaire is the WBC and WBO Bantanweight champion.
It was Montiel's first loss since a split-decision setback to Jhonny Gonzalez May 27, 2006, spanning 13 fights.
“I’m here and blessed. I have the best people around me,” Donaire said when asked if he was pound-for-pound the best fighter. “And I’m happy.”
The Filipino said he doesn’t mind being considered the No.2 pound-for-pound fighter after Manny Pacquiao.
