Top Rank’s Pinoy 3 / Donaire, Montiel, Concepcion
All Win, Penalosa Robbed!
By: Edwin Gonzalez
February 13th, Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada: Interim WBA super flyweight interim champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, 23-1, 15Ko’s set up, then beat up last minute substitute Mexico’s Manuel ‘Chango’ Vargas, 26-5-1, 11Ko’s last night as the main event of Top Rank’s Pinoy 3.
Vargas a last minute replacement for “El Nene” Gerson Guerrero, 34-8, 26Ko’s who failed his pre fight medical was dominated from the opening bell finding himself on the operational end of a Donaire left uppercut at 1:33 of the third round of their scheduled twelve rounder.
Donaire who hasn’t lost since his second pro bout climbed to fame stopping the Armenia “Raging Bull” Vic Darchinyan previously undefeated at 28-0 with a brutal left hook July 2007. since that fight “The Filipino Flash” has stopped Luis Maldonado, 35-2-1, in eight, Moruti Mthalane, 23-1-0, in six, Raul Martinez, 24-0-0, in four and won a hotly contested twelve rounder over Rafael Concepcion, 13-3-1 this past August coming into last nights bout. Retaining the interim WBA World super flyweight title sets up a much wanted rematch with Darchinyan who will be defending his WBC and WBA super flyweight titles against Mexico’s Rodrigo “Gatito” Guerrero, 13-1-1, 9Ko’s March 6th at the Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California.
Thirty year old WBO bantamweight champion Fernando “Cochulito’ Montiel, 40-2-2, 30Ko’s disposed of previously undefeated twenty two year old Ciso “Kid Terrible” Morales, with a crunching left hook to the body dropping “The Kid” to the canvas for the count at 2:06 of round one giving him his first loss dipping him to 14-1, 8Ko’s
In a two way action packed fight “Little Hands Of Steel” Eric Morel, 42-2, 21Ko’s won a controversial split decision over “Fearless” Gerry Penalosa, 54-8, 34Ko’s grabbing the interim WBO bantamweight title. Morel controlled the early going with Penalosa coming on strong with a solid body attack in the even after suffering cuts over both eyes from two unintentional head butts in round six. The judges scores were announced 115-113, 116-112 Morel, 115-113 Penalosa giving Morel the split decision to the dismay of many ringside including pound for pound champion Manny Pacquiao.
In what could be called a featherweight eliminator, Bernabe “The Real Deal” Concepcion, 30-2-1, 17Ko’s out pointed Mario “Principe Ponce” Santiago, 21-2-1, 14Ko’s flooring him in the sixth then hanging on through ten setting up a possible match with WBO champ Juan Manuel Lopez possible on the undercard of Miguel Cotto’s return to Madison Square Garden on the eve of this years Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Undercard results: super featherweight Diego Magdaleno won a eight round unanimous decision over Floriano Pagliara, welterweight Mark Jason Melligen scored a sixth round TKO of Austin, Texas's Raymond Gatica giving him his first loss falling to 11-1, 6Ko’s, Russian middleweight Matt Korobov advanced to 10-0, 8Ko’s stopping St Louis, Missouri’s “The Prince of Pain’ Lamar Harris in the opening round of their scheduled six rounder, Puerto Rican super featherweight Hector Marengo fought to a 58-56, 56-58, 57-57 six round draw with Midland, Texas Edgar Portillo and LA light welterweight Jose Benavidez moved to 2-0, 2Ko’s ruining John Vega’s pro debut sopping him in the opening stanza of their preliminary four rounder.
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Pinoy Power 3 / Latin Fury 13
(Fernando Montiel, Nonito Donaire, Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum and Eric Morel)
On February 13th, the Las Vegas Hilton will be the site of another Bob Arum world championship doubleheader Pinoy Power 3/Latin Fury 13. Top rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler has matched WBA interim super bantamweight champion Nonito ‘The Filipino Flash’ Donaire against heavy handed Gerson Guerrero.
Donaire, 22-1, 14Ko’s who’s only loss came in his second fight against Rosendo Sanchez March 2001 has won three of his last four by TKO stopping Raul Martinez, Moruti Mthalane, Luis Maldonado inside the distance and winning a unanimous decision over Rafael Concepcion in his last outing since winning the IBF and IBO flyweight titles July 2007 stopping the “Raging Bull” Vic Darchinyan cold in five.
Gerson “El Nene, Baby” Guerrero, 34-8, 26Ko’s has been in with Cristian Mijares and has wins over Marcelino Bojorquez and Cecilio Santos. Since being stopped in two by Daniel Ponce De Leon back in May 2006 he has won four of his last four of six by TKO the other two a ten round unanimous decision loss to undefeated Alexander Bakhtin and a N/C with Carlos Rueda when Rueda's right eyebrow was cut by unintentional headbut. Guerrero won a WBC Super Flyweight Title Eliminator and the vacant NABF super flyweight title in his last outing stopping Enrique Quevedo in ten in June. Donaire and Guerrero will be fighting for the interim WBA World super flyweight title.
In the co-feature Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel will be defending his WBO Bantamweight title against undefeated Phillipine “Kid Terrible” Ciso Morales. Montiel 39-2-2, 29Ko’s has strung together seven straight wins, five by stoppage since losing a split decision to Jhonny Gonzalez May 2006 suffering a technical draw with Alejandro Valdez in his last outing this past September when the fight was stopped after three rounds on a cut over Montiel's left eye suffered in round one.
Morales, 14-0, 8Ko’s won WBO Oriental super bantamweight title back in January stopping Pichitchai Twins Gym in five and won a majority decision over previously unbeaten Miguel Angel Gonzalez Piedras in November.
Most would call it a triple header with former champions Puerto Rico’s “Little Hands Of Steel” Eric Morel, 41-2, 21Ko’s and Philipino star Gerry “Fearless” Penalosa, 54-7-2, 36Ko’s meeting in a WBO bantamweight title eliminator bout.
Morel a a sharp boxer unbeaten in his last six is a veteran of ten title bouts having won the WBA World flyweight title outpointing Sornpichai Pisnurachank in 2000.
The 37 year old Penalosa rebounded from a twelve round decision loss to Daniel Ponce de Leon winning the WBO bantamweight title March 2007 stopping Jhonny Gonzalez with a precision body shot. Pennalosa added wins over German Meraz and Ratanachai Sor Vorapin before being thoroughly thrashed by undefeated WBO super bantamweight title holder Juan Manuel Lopez, 27-0, 24Ko’s forcing his trainer Freddie Roach to call it after ten this past April.
