Tomorrow night, HBO will break a four-year drought of airing bantamweight fights when Fernando Montiel faces off with Nonito Donaire Traditionally, fighters in the smaller weight classes, no matter how talented, have not been looked at as the potential crossover stars that HBO covets. But times have changed as boxing trudges on in the Pacquiao-Mayweather era. Stars can no longer simply be manufactured through deft marketing and selective matchmaking. These days, perceptive fans choose their stars on the strength of how they can overcome adversity against the absolute best competition. These market realities are what hover over the tomorrow’s night’s telecast as both Donaire and Montiel seek to stake a claim as the best of their division.
The Yellow Brick Road to Stardom
The last bantamweight bout televised on HBO came in 2007, when Abner Mares defeated Damian David Marchiano. However, HBO’s disinterest in the 118 pounders can be traced to May 27, 2006, when Fernando Montiel dropped a ten round decision to Jhonny Gonzalez. Montiel fought a tedious, safety-first contest that drew immense criticism from the announce team.
In a time where boxing TV on premium stations are limited, Montiel’s poor performance effectively shut him out of future coverage for years. His climb back required the realization that defense may win championships in other sports, but in boxing its offense that generates cash and visibility. Since that loss, Montiel has fought 12 times, scoring nine knockouts. Five of those KOs have come in his last six bouts, including a shocking dispatching of Hozumi Hasegawa to win the WBC title.
“The work we’ve been doing in the gym and the strategies have been very good, so that’s why the knockouts are coming,” Montiel explained. “That fight reminded me to really think about what I’m doing. My style really changed. I’m still intelligent and a boxer, but I became more aggressive. That’s what I learned. Sometimes the best defense is your offense. Since [Hasegawa] was left-handed, I think I was able to land my punches better.”
Five years is a lifetime in boxing. But Montiel remains acutely aware of his flat performance against Gonzalez. He knows a repeat effectively ends his chances of ever appearing on the network again. Therefore, he plans on pursuing dangerous exchanges even at the expense of abandoning his fight plan. In his eyes, an exciting loss trumps a lackluster win.
“I’m fighting. If he doesn’t want to fight and starts moving, I’m going to do everything I can to make him engage,” Montiel vowed, raising his voice to emphasize the point. “With Donaire I cannot be at distance, I have to be inside. If I stay away from him, that’s his fight. I’m going to do damage once I get inside. I want it to be a good and fun fight for TV and the fans. If I have to go get him, I’ll go get him.”
Nonito Donaire’s quest for the stardom stalled not due to a bad performance, but from roadblocks at the negotiation table. His one-punch KO of previously undefeated Vic Darchinyan put his name on the map in 2007. The fight had taken place on Showtime, and he seemed primed for good matches such as an expected Darchinyan rematch, and even a Montiel fight in 2008.
None of those expected paydays happened. After jumping ship from Gary Shaw Promotions to Top Rank, Shaw refused to negotiate with Donaire for the Darchinyan rematch. The Montiel fight was close to happening, but fell through over weight issues. This left Donaire unable to capitalize on his biggest victory.
For the last three years, the majority of his opponents have offered him no stiff competition to test his skills or build his name. It was a dark period he now views as a disguised blessing.
“It was definitely frustration going around because I wasn’t getting the right fights. But then it taught me a lot of experience,” Donaire reflected. “Now I’m in the best possible position to beat anyone out there. In 2009 I had the talent and skill, but not the right people behind me to be my best. Now I’m at my best.”
“Everything happens for a reason, [the Darchinyan rematch failure] taught me not to wait for an opportunity. Seize it. If you have to calls guys out, calls guys out. That’s how I got this fight. It’s unfortunate, [but] I don’t regret anything.”
The focus for Nonito Donaire against Montiel is clear; don’t let this opportunity to make a definitive statement slip away.
“I want to try and do the same thing I did last fight [against Sydorenko],” he says. “The motivation is to fight that way.”
A Bantamweight Pit Stop?
Rumors have run rampant of the past week of both men struggling to make the 118 pound limit. Montiel hasn’t made 118 since his 2009 fight with Alejandro Valdez, a bout he would have lost if it not for a judge incorrectly ruling a cut he received was due to a head butt and not a punch. His last fight, a second round knockout over Jovanny Soto, was ruled a non-title contest due to Montiel being a pound overweight.
Donaire has only been a 118 since his last bout in December, a devastating fourth round KO of Volodymyr Sydorenko. Donaire denies any weight issues, but did reveal he’s noticed a significant increase in his power at this higher weight.
“I do feel maturity in my power. Physically, they are stronger than me,” Donaire disclosed. “But in terms of my power, it’s a lot stronger. I spar with guys 130 and 135 and they feel my power. My coaches are even saying I hit harder than those guys. That’s definitely one of my keys for this fight.”
On the other hand, Montiel had no qualms confirming this will be his last fight at bantamweight.
“This fight will be my last at 118. I want to move up and win a title at 122,” he said. “That’s my goal after this fight.”
Avoiding Another Disappointment
The best fighting the best doesn’t always result in the best fight to watch as a fan. No clearer example is when Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley faced off the WBO and WBC junior welterweight titles last month. The contest was mired in isolated exchanges, constant clinching, and ended with an anti-climatic technical decision from a head butt. Learning from their mistakes, HBO’s promotion for this match had been much more subdued and without the hyperbole of guaranteeing a classic.
Still, neither Montiel nor Donaire see the formula broken after just one bad fight. The other top fighters in the bantamweight division: Abner Mares, Yonnhy Perez, Joseph Agbeko and Vic Darchinyan, are all fighters who take risks in the ring. Combined, they have a knockout percentage of 73%, higher than many of their contemporaries at more recognized, higher divisions.
“They underestimated the power,” Donaire stated. “If you look at a lot of guys, their knockout percentages are just as big as the higher weight guys. They just felt like we would not have the same impact. When the big guy falls, they fall hard. But the little guys fall hard too. This is an exciting division.”
It’s also matter of the talent pool being much higher than in previous eras. The fact that both HBO and Showtime are pairing the top bantamweights in high-profile fights is a strong indication of the quality matchups available. It’s through these types of fights that a classic rivalry can develop. One of the famous in recent times, Barrera vs. Morales, began just north of 118 at super bantamweight.
“You just didn’t have fighters of the same quality and following. Sometimes it takes two great fighters to fight and create excitement in the division,” says Montiel. “I think that’s what’s happening with us. People have high expectations of us. A lot of times the lower weights just have one guy dominating and no one to challenge them. Right now we’re the top at 118. You need this just like when Barrera fought Morales at 122.”
It remains to be seen if Donaire-Montiel will come close to Barrera-Morales in terms of action. But to let Donaire and Montiel tell it, there’s no way their anticipated matchup can disappoint.
“I’m becoming more well-known after this, and the fans are going to see a really great fight,” Montiel promised. “They’ll start following me because I’m going to give them the best fight I can.”
“They’ll have a treat for this fight,” Donaire added. “It’s a not to miss fight because we’re just out there to bash each other’s heads.”
Nonito Donaire vs. Fernando Montiel airs tomorrow night at 9:45 PM ET
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