By Chris Robinson
In the first part of my interview with HBO analyst Larry Merchant ,we took a look at rising welterweight star Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and his future expectations. Merchant spoke very highly of the Jalisco native and even considered the idea of seeing the 20-year old face off with Manny Pacquiao in a year’s time if each man continues their winning ways.
Alvarez is coming off of a twelve-round decision over rugged former champion Lovemore N’dou last weekend, a bout in which he won nearly every round against the pressing Australian by way of South Africa. On that same night there would be developments of a similar kind as bantamweight contender Nonito Donaire blitzed out Ukrainian Wladimir Sidorenko in four rounds while WBC titlist Humberto Soto defended his title with a riveting decision over Urbano Antillon in Anaheim, California.
Now 30 years old with 64 fights under his belt, Soto is a proven two-division champion and just the kind of fighter that Merchant prefers.
“I like Soto,” Merchant said. “There is such a quantity of tough, Mexican fighters and every once in a while one of them emerges as more than just a tough Mexican fighter. He has [enough] skills that he can be a top fighter. And Soto has a pretty impressive resume by now.”
Asked about Soto’s future, Merchant mentioned WBA and WBO champion Juan Manuel Marquez and contender Michael Katsidis as two names who would make sense. Marquez stopped Katsidis in a terrific battle on November 27th at the MGM Grand after overcoming a 3rd round knockdown and it was the type of affair that didn’t diminish either man’s status. But when Merchant was informed that it looks like Soto could be facing off with undefeated Brandon Rios next, a clash that could land at the Palms Casino on February 26th, he seemed just as interested.
“That’s another guy who’s been named because he’s a Top Rank fighter,” Merchant spoke of Rios. “They like him and he’s unbeaten. He’s a cheeky guy and a good fighter. That would make sense too. He had a good win and emerged as a guy who could fight for a title. I was surprised at how he won over [Anthony] Peterson. I’m not sure where he stands but I like him. He has a good, professional, crowd-pleasing style.”
Switching gears ever slightly, Merchant and I began to talk about Donaire, the former flyweight and interim super flyweight champion now looking for bigger bounty at 118 pounds. The Bohol native has undeniable talent and Merchant feels that he is one of a select group of talented pugilists from the Philippines who have benefited from Pacquiao’s success in recent years. While Pacquiao may have opened the door even wider for his countrymen, fighters like Donaire are making sure that their entrances are of all their own.
“For one thing, Pacquiao in the Philippines is not one and done,” he continued. “He’s inspired a lot of young fighters that everything is possible for them. And that they can get actual recognition and make money. You know the old saying of a baseball player in the Caribbean? You have to hit your way off of the island. You can’t walk your way off of the island. Well, these guys are hitting their way off of the island. They are punching their way off of the island. They are crowd-pleasing fighters and when you have that you have a chance to gauge fans and he’s a guy who has that.”
Donaire now seems to be in line for a mouth-watering February 19th tussle with WBC and WBO champion Fernando Montiel at the Mandalay Bay, a contest with much intrigue and danger coming from both sides. Montiel is the seasoned veteran in this scenario and Merchant isn’t one to deny his ability.
“[Montiel] is a good fighter,” Merchant said with respect. “When you have as much quantity as you have in Mexico you are going to get some quality and he’s part of the quality. He’s a serious fighter and he comes from that city in Mexico, Los Mochis. They have a history, a culture, of producing good fighters. Jorge Arce was another champion from the area with a great personality and fighting style. It’s too bad he never fought Montiel.”
In the coming year it looks like we could be treated to such matchups as junior welter unification between Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander, a Pacquiao-Shane Mosley duel, and a possible rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, amongst others. Donaire vs. Montiel is the kind of fight that the sport of boxing thrives on and would fit into the schedule nicely.
For Merchant it’s a no-brainer.
“Who wouldn’t you want to see that? There are some good fights stacking up for next year and that’s one of them."
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. An archive of his work can be found here, and he can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
