By Rey Colon
According to his father and trainer Cyril, former WBO interim-bantamweight champion, Eric Morel, sent a message to Nonito Donaire, who spectacularly knocked Fernando Montiel on Saturday, that he is ready to fight him even in the Philippines - if the pay is fair and reasonable.
"That was why Montiel did not want to fight Eric. He knew he going to get knocked out. Eric is available to fight Donaire in the Philippines," Cyril Morel said. "They offered to us that fight for Puerto Rico, but what they were paying was very low and so the fight fell out. The knockout does not impress us because we knew that any boxer with quality would knock Montiel out."
Cyril said his son will return to action on April 1 in California against Martin Castillo on Telefutura, and he is not afraid to fight Donaire afterwards because he wants to fight the best between 118 and 126 pounds.
He believes that Eric, who is weighing about 130 pounds right now, is physically stronger than Donaire and the better boxer.
"The experience Eric has in his career is impressive. He won't be able to outbox Eric. They are the same height and may have the same speed but its experience that Donaire doesn't have. We would go round for round with him. Nonito was lucky that he was at the right place at the right time. That's what would have happened to Montiel with Eric but he pulled out several times," Cyril said.
