Nonito, "The Flash," Donaire, 28, finally would have a very worthy and notable opponent in front of him inside the ring. Fernando Montiel, 31, was the recognized world champion by World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO). The two fighters are both in the elite pound-for-pound list, aiming to get higher in the top list. That showed how high the expectation, excitement and respect for this match.
Both fighters predicted a knockout. Donaire said it would come within six rounds. Montiel said that it would be within 10 rounds. And so the bell rang to see who said it right.
In the first round, Donaire threw more telling shots to the body and head of Montiel. His dreaded left hook landed twice in separate occasions in the first round. Donaire won the round.
In the second round, Donaire tagged Montiel with a right straight punch. Then, Montiel started to move forward and be agreesive. Montiel landed some decent shots.
And then, Montiel landed a right hook. Donaire countered perfectly with the left hook. With that left hook right on the face, Montiel came down with all his weight on the canvass. His legs were kicking. After falling temporarily in his effort to get up, he was finally able to get up to beat the 10-second count. Then, referee let the fight continue. Donaire rushed to Montiel and landed two more shots to visibly hurt Montiel. That was it. The referee stopped the fight at 2:35 of the second round.
It was the same left hook that erased the "0" in the unblemished record of Vic Darchinyan in 2007. That left hook made that 2007 upset the "Knockout of the Year." This left hook can give Donaire another "Knockout of the Year" considering whom he had knocked out, a future Hall of Famer in boxing.
Donaire improved his record to 26-1, with 18 knockouts. With the win, Donaire definitely is on top 3 of the pound-for-pound list behind the great Manny Pacquaio.
