Image by Getty Images via @daylifeAsk an expert who he believes will win the Fernando Montiel-Nonito Donaire fight on Saturday and he or she will probably sigh before serving up an answer with minimal conviction. Donaire is a 3-1 betting favorite but most believe it’s a pick-‘em fight.
And why not? This is a rare matchup of two complete, hard-punching fighters on most pound-for-pound lists -- Donaire No. 5, Montiel No. 7, according to THE RING -- who are at the peak of their abilities.
Montiel (44-2-2, 34 knockouts) has flown under the radar for much of his career, the victim of his diminutive size and the overwhelming popularity of such Mexican icons as Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez.
The San Francisco Bay product appeared to have his break-through moment when he stopped then-unbeaten Vic Darchinyan in fifth-round of their 2007 fight to win a 112-pound title. But the triumph led only to more low-profile fights.
Donaire, 28, served notice in his most-recent fight that remains a force, though, dominating and then stopping former bantamweight titleholder Wladimir Sidorenko in four rounds in December. He looked superhuman.
http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/126827-montiel-donaire-cant-miss-drama
