:::E:X:P:L:O:S:I:V:E::: - Donaire knocks out Montiel in 2!

2 days!

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FERNANDO MONTIEL INTERVIEW:

What can you say about your training for this fight?
"Training was very tough, it was really gruesome. I almost felt like crying at times -- that's how hard it was. But there was a lot of professionalism, and I am eager to get to the fight."

Do you feel the pressure of not being the favorite despite the awesome year you had in 2010?
"No, it's not an uncomfortable situation for me. And it wasn't uncomfortable either when I was the favorite. This has only bothered me at the beginning of my career. But as years go by, and with all the experience I gained, this becomes just another part of the business. I am relaxed, at peace, and I will go out to do the best job I possibly can. If anything, this should put some pressure on him, not me."

You had a great streak in 2010 [four wins in as many fights, all knockouts]. Do you feel you have found your best possible weight at 118 pounds?
"Definitely, I am enjoying my best year and my best weight, the weight at which I have adapted the best so far. The bantamweight division is the most advantageous division I have fought in so far, and I will be victorious in this fight too. I believe I am more powerful, much stronger. And with all this new work that I am doing in the gym, I will exploit everything that I know and add what I haven't exploited yet. There are things that I have been unable to demonstrate in the ring because I haven't had the time or because my opponent doesn't fit my style, but I have a lot to show, and in this fight I will expose my entire repertoire of punches, leg movements and all that."

What challenge does Donaire present to you that no fighter has before?
"Well, to be honest, and without trying to sound cocky, I feel that I have already faced every kind of fighter, and I have experienced all kinds of fights as well. I have fought with taller fighters just like [Donaire]; with very fast fighters; with very intelligent fighters like [Hozumi] Hasegawa; and with stronger fighters too. But I won those fights, and then I used that experience a lot. The only fight I lost was with Johnny Gonzalez, and I don't think [Donaire] is taller than Gonzalez. He may be faster, though, but I don't mind that either. I am very focused in my game plan and I am working hard on that."

What do you think of the Showtime bantamweight tournament so far?
"I didn't enter that tournament, for a number of reasons, but I've been paying attention to the way they've done it. Abner Mares is the one who has done the best job so far. But I really see it as an elimination tournament to face me. Whoever wins this thing is going to be asking for a fight with me or Donaire. I think it's interesting, because all four fighters are interesting and I hope the best man wins. And if the numbers add up, we might accept to face any one of them."

So you see yourself as the man to beat in the bantamweight division?
"Yeah, sure. And without even having to enter in this tournament."

What part of Donaire's style is going to give you more problems, his mobility or his power?
"I think his speed and his movement is going to give me more problems, but we are thinking about all this when we're in the gym, and we're getting ready for that. That's the only thing that can give me some problems, but I will be able to solve that riddle too."

Besides Donaire, who would you say you have to beat in order to establish superiority? Who is the fighter you need to help propel you to stardom and establish your legacy?
"I believe that after beating Nonito Donaire, I won't have anything else to prove in this division. If things go well [Saturday], as I think they will, I would already be jumping to a higher division. My name will be clearly established in the bantamweight division, and I will be able to jump to super bantamweight right after that."

So you believe you will have success in a very competitive super bantamweight division despite your smaller frame?
"Sure. And that's because of all the work I am doing in the gym, because my routine asks for more weight -- or at least it asks for more energy from me -- so I don't wear myself down. But you will see me on the day of the fight and realize that I can make the jump to a new division. Right now, though, my mind is focused on Nonito Donaire. After this fight, we will see whether we can travel again to Japan to fight [Toshiaki] Nishioka, or maybe [Wilfredo] Vazquez, but those are only ideas right now."

If you beat Donaire, you will claim a third championship and rate among the greatest Mexican fighters of all time. Does this add incentive to your challenge?
"Without a doubt. But I don't see myself as one of the greatest Mexican fighters. Perhaps I will be remembered, yes. Without a doubt, the greatest of all time in Mexico will always be Julio Cesar Chavez. But my name will be on that list if I win this fight."

How do you envision the fight unfolding Saturday night?
"I see both of us wearing each other down, using a lot of different strategies. And it will be tiresome because I will be there ready to face him and offer myself, if he likes to, for a toe-to-toe battle, exchanging a lot of punches, to give a good show. If he drops me, I will get up. And if he cuts me, I will continue. And if I connect with him and he falls, I expect him to continue and go to war with me to the finish."

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NONITO DONAIRE INTERVIEW

Do you feel the pressure of being the favorite?
"I am ready to go out there and handle my business and to take care of what I need to do, and that is defeating Montiel in the fight -- and that's all I think about. Not because I am the favorite or because people think I am going to win the fight or anything, just because Montiel is a big fighter."

Do you see yourself as the man to beat in the bantamweight division?
"I think that Montiel is the best in the division right now, and that I have to prove that I am better than him in this fight and then be the best in the division. There's a lot of good fights in this division -- they have [Joseph] Agbeko-[Abnner] Mares and then it's Montiel and I, so it's going to be a very busy division."

Speaking of that, what's your take on the bantamweight tournament (between Vic Darchynian, Yohnny Perez, Agbeko and Mares)?
"I haven't seen the fights, but I think Mares will do a good job against Agbeko. He is a tough guy and he is the champion. But regardless of who wins those fights, I must get past Montiel. And after the Montiel fight, I want to fight those guys."

Besides Montiel, would you say you have to beat any of those guys in order to establish superiority in the division?
"Well, Montiel has two belts, and once I take those two belts, I will try to get the other one. That's my goal in boxing, that's what I set my eyes on."

Montiel is riding a great streak (four wins in as many fights, all knockouts). Are you worried that he may have found his "center" at 118? What would it take to stop him?
"Montiel is doing great, and that's exactly what I want. I want a good fighter in front of me. I don't want an old Montiel, I want the best Montiel in this fight. The better they are, the better I get. If he shows up at 100 percent, I am going to be at 200 percent. It's going to be a very interesting fight, but I believe I have the advantage in speed and height, and that's where I will take my advantage."

What does Montiel have that none of your former opponents have had?
"Montiel is an overall good fighter. He has power, speed, good experience. He can box and he can brawl as well, so that's one thing that my previous opponents never had. That's what Montiel brings to me right now."

What's going to give Montiel more problems? Your mobility or your power?
"Everything. I hope he finds everything difficult about me -- from my speed, from my height, from my power. If he makes a mistake in front of me, I am going to make him pay for it. And the same is true about me: I can't make a mistake in front of him, because if I do, I am going to pay for it. There is a lot that Montiel has to worry about, but the main things are power, speed and height."

Should the winner of this fight be seen as the new linear champion of the division, considering that you have earned the most titles in the past few years between the two of you?
"This is an important fight in the division. Montiel has two belts, and I want to put his name in my résumé. His name is very important because he is a very experienced fighter and he has been a champion for a long time, and so my career would skyrocket. My view is, leave a good impression on the people and leave no doubt that I belong in the pound-for-pound rankings."

Is there anything new that we're going to see from you in this fight?
"I just plan to be in my best shape. I don't study fights. I don't watch his fights, I don't watch my fights. I go in there like I am fighting a new guy, and that's pretty much how I look at it. I have no strategy. I just go in there and look at what he does, and then go from there."

So how do you foresee the fight going Saturday night?
"All I know is that with my power and his power, the fight won't last more than six rounds. It's going to be an early fight -- that's all I can say. If we both give 100 percent, we're all going home early. But if he's not ready to step in that ring with a guy that's ready and hungry, then it's going to be dangerous for him."

 

Photo from final presser, quotes come later

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