LAS VEGAS –He called himself No. 2 on the Filipino ticket, but Nonito Donaire was No. 1 in the ring Saturday night. As a bantamweight, he is all by himself. A guessing game will soon ensue about how long he will stay at 118 pounds. Bigger things await Donaire.
Within seven minutes, however, General Santos City in The Philippines emerged on the boxing map like no other piece of modern real estate. It is more than Manny Pacquiao’s hometown. Donaire was born there, too.
There must be some punch in the water.
Donaire threw a huge one to stop the accomplished Fernando Montiel in the second round of a bout for two pieces of the bantamweight title. Montiel missed with a right. Donaire countered with a left, which traveled in an orbit-like loop and landed on Montiel’s chin with the impact of a baseball bat.
“I’m very surprised he got up,’’ said Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs), who earned $350,000, $100,000 more than Montiel’s purse.
Montiel (44-3-2, 34 KOs), who lost the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization versions of the title, went down as if he had been dropped onto the canvas from a diving board. The Mexican landed on his back in a flop. His legs twitched one way, then another. His arms and upper body moved, almost as if he were trying to regain control of nerve endings that connected him to consciousness. He did, long enough to get up and onto his feet. He stumbled in a futile attempt to re-gain his balance.
Referee Russell Mora must have thought that he had. Mora signaled for the fight to continue.
It did for a maybe a couple of seconds. Donaire threw a couple of punches that quickly indicated Montiel was defenseless. Mora ended it, calling it a TKO at 2:25 of the second.
But there was nothing technical about a knockout that makes Donaire the world’s best bantamweight, a future contender in the featherweight divisions, a rising factor in the pound-for-pound debate and the second-best fighter from General Santos City.
Mike Jones and Jesus Soto-Karass got it right the second time around.
The controversy of Jones victory by majority decision in November was swept away Saturday night at Mandalay Bay with poise Jones and guts by Soto-Karass.
Jones (24-0, 18 KOs) won another decision. But this one was unanimous on the scorecards and unanimous for its brilliance. Duane Ford scored it 115-113, Robert Hoyle 116-112 and Ricardo Ocasio 117-111, for Jones. The crowd roared in approval for both.
Cuts near each eye in the third seemed to put Soto-Karass (24-6-3, 16 KOs) in early jeopardy. Before the fourth, it looked as if Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer and one of the four ringside physicians were about to stop a bout, scheduled for 12 rounds on a card featured by Nonito Donaire’s second-round stoppage of Fernando Montiel for two pieces of the bantamweight title.
Blood poured from a cut near the outside of Soto-Karass’ left eye. That one was caused by a head butt. There was more blood flowing from another cut near the outside of his right eye. It looked as if a Jones’ punch caused that one. Blood flowed like tears. But Soto-Karass wasn’t crying.
If anything, he appeared energized, emboldened by his wounds. He could taste the sense of urgency. He jumped off his stool and raced at Jones throughout the fourth, gesturing at him as if he were inviting him inside for a closer look at the carnage. Jones played it smart.
He stayed away, backed away, from the dangerous, courageous Soto-Karass. While Soto-Karass saw less and less. Jones could see what was happening. He waited with patience and enough quickness to score with range and precision.
In the ninth, a long Jones punch opened up another cut on the inside of Soto-Karass’ left eye. By then, it was only a matter of time before the end, before Jones celebrated a victory and everybody else celebrated a great fight.
Four hours before Nonito Donaire and Fernando Montiel entered the Mandalay Bay ring, the card began in a chilly and empty arena Saturday with Denver junior-welterweight Mike Alvarado (29-0, 21 KOs) in a bid to restore his chances at being a contender in the crowded 140-pound division after a stretch in jail on a parole violation.
Alvarado, who did time on a domestic violence charge and driving offenses, needed some work. He got four rounds. Alvarado’s tune-up turned into target practice against Englishman Dean Harrison (16-5, 5 KOs), a TKO loser who was left bloodied, beaten and unable to continue after the fourth of a scheduled eight.
The undercard’s best: Welterweight Mark Melligen (21-2, 14 KOs), who had the Filipino flag on his trunks and Filipino fans in his corner, didn’t disappoint his countrymen with a unanimous decision over Mexican Gabriel Martinez (27-2-1, 14 KOs), who staged a ninth-round rally that was too late to save him from a one-sided loss on the scorecards.
The worst: Dallas lightweight Jose Hernandez (10-4-1, 4 KOs) had the fans screaming Si Se Puede, Si Se Puede. Either the judges don’t speak Spanish or they didn’t hear a chant that means Yes We Can, Yes We Can. Hernandez’ bid for an upset of unbeaten Mickey Bey of Cleveland (16-0-1, 8 KOs) fell a few points short. CJ Ross and Glenn Trowbridge scored it even, 76-76, each. Lisa Giampa gave it to Bey, 78-74, for a majority draw booed by a majority of the fans.
The rest: Welterweight prospect Yordenis Ugas (6-0, 3 KOs), a Cuban bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics, continued his apprenticeship with a unanimous decision over a Sacramento opponent, Carlos Musquez (3-3-4, 3 KOs), who rocked Ugas in the opening round, yet did little throughout the next five.
