Donaire-Montiel is on for November

WBA super flyweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire will face WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel in November in the United States although no site has been decided upon as yet. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum confirmed that Montiel “is fighting Donaire” after Vic Darchinyan who suffered an embarrassing 5th round knockout and lost his IBF/IBO flyweight titles to Donaire on July 7, 2007 challenged Montiel to avenge his brother Alejandro’s ten round defeat by him (Darchinyan) in August 2003 in Australia in an effort to land a lucrative fight. Montiel was quoted by IBF official Ray Wheatley as saying “Fernando Montiel wants to be recognized as a great Mexican boxer but why won’t he fight me.” Boasting that when he fought Montiel’s brother he “kicked his ass in all of the ten rounds winning every round on points” the cocky Australian bragged that he would “do the same to Fernando Montiel if he has the guts to fight me.” Arum said “they are all nuts. There are no professionals around. They are all totally crazy” referring to Darchinyan as well as Floyd Mayweather Jr’s adviser Leonard Ellerbe who claimed they had never discussed a megabuck fight between Mayweather and pound-for-pound king and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao. Arum said the Donaire-Montiel title fight will be held in the US and that they would decide on a venue this week after meeting with the television people from Showtime on Tuesday. Wheatley also reported that Darchinyan, the WBC/WBA super flyweight champion had stated that Donaire would never give him a rematch, alleging that “Donaire will never fight me. He refused to sign the contract he had for six weeks that would have made the fight happen. I have lost interest in that fight. I am now the IBO bantamweight champion and have focused on Fernando Montiel who is the WBC and WBO champion.” However, we recall that Darchinyan’s promoter Gary Shaw in an interview with us some time ago had said that he and Arum had agreed on the terms for a Donaire-Darchinyan rematch and that he had been waiting for a response from Darchinyan’s handlers led by Elias Nassar only to tell us later that they wanted more money for the television rights especially since the fight was to be telecast in the Philippines by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN. Eventually the TV rights issue was given as the reason the fight didn’t push through although Donaire said it was Darchinyan’s way out since he was scared to fight him and get whipped the second time around. Informed of Arum’s statement that the fight against Montiel would happen in November, Donaire said “it will be a helluva fight” and indicated he was “excited, because this is the fight I have been wanting. It’s the best match-up I could ever ask for.” Donaire conceded that Montiel is “a very strong fighter and a good champion” but that he had “the speed, the height and I think I also have the power. But you never know until you get into that ring.” Donaire who arrives in Manila on Thursday said he plans on spending one month in the Philippines. http://philboxing.com/news/story-41541.html