No matter what you call it, the card headlined by Donaire and Montiel is a solid one.
Get ready, because on Saturday, it’s time for “Pinoy Power 3.”
Er, wait… it’s time for “Latin Fury 13.”
I mean… it’s time for “Arum’s Invading Your Wallet 40.”
OK, whatever it’s called, it’s on Saturday, and it features Nonito Donaire Jr. versus Gerson Guerrero.
Wait, no, it’s Donaire versus Manuel Vargas.
OK WHATEVER!! There’s fights on Saturday and you should watch!!
All jokes aside, normally these “Latin Fury” and “Pinoy Power” cards Top Rank pelts us with every month usually take a small page out of the WWE playbook: Put in a big name or two, and stir up things with some minor names and see what sticks. However, this one actually tantalizes fight fans with multiple world champions, former and current, as well as rising stars and even several up-and-comers on the dark undercard.
While the $34.95 pay-per-view may be a little steep, it’s not so much for two people to split, and for only $15 more, if you’re in Las Vegas you can see the fights live. The dark undercard features Filipino prospect who was derailed in his last fight, Mark Melligen (16-2 12 KO), Russian Olympian Matt Korobov (9-0, 7 KO), local favorite Diego Magdaleno (13-0, 3 KO), Top Rank’s hot new thing Jose Benavidez (1-0, 1 KO, pictured below), and Filipino amateur champion Bruno Escalante making his pro debut.
Featured on the televised card are four pretty solid match-ups:
Bernabe Concepcion (29-2-1, 17 KO) vs. Mario Santiago (21-1-1, 14 KO), 10 rounds, featherweights – The first bout of the televised evening may wind up being the wild card of the night. We’ve seen Concepcion’s skill and power in rounds that last 3 minutes and 10 seconds in his last fight against Luevano (pictured). And we’ve seen him blow out C- and D-listers like Adam Carrera and Yogli Herrera. Santiago has also fought Steven Luevano and fought him to a draw. Unfortunately, since Concepcion was DQ’d for knocking out Luevano, it’s hard to compare the two. Their only other common opponent is Salvador Garcia, whom Santiago took out in seven, while Concepcion needed nine. If that’s any indication, how come we don’t know Santiago’s name? Could be Concepcion’s under the tutelage of Team Pacquiao; could be he’s better. Only one way to find out.
RHINO’S PICK: Concepcion by points? Your guess is as good as mine.
Eric Morel (41-2, 21 KO) vs. Gerry Pe?alosa (54-7-2, 34 KO), 12 rounds, WBO 118-pound World Title Eliminator – This is tonight’s bout of “Who’s Still Got It?” Morel says he’s refreshed, renewed, he’s “got it and [he’s] got it for a long time.” Pe?alosa showed massive intestinal fortitude in his loss against Juan Manuel Lopez last year. His corner had to practically hold him back before going out for another round. But while Gerry was taking poundings from the now-featherweight champion, Morel was resting up after a string of 6 wins.
RHINO’S PICK: Morel by unanimous decision. Morel will ride the momentum, capitalize on Pe?alosa’s decline, and get one more shot at a world title.
Fernando Montiel (39-2-2, 39 KO) vs. Ciso Morales (14-0, 8 KO), 12 rounds, WBO World Bantamweight Title – OK, look at the records. Look at the resumes: Montiel boasts decent-to-good names like Luis Maldonado and Z Gorres. Morales has names like Miguel Angel Gonzalez Piedras and Pichitchai Twins Gym. (Yes, that’s his real name.) Finally, look at who the headliner is. If you don’t think this is leading to talks on Donaire/Montiel, you don’t know squat about boxing.
RHINO’S PICK: Montiel in six. This is the gimme of the night.
Nonito Donaire Jr. (22-1, 14 KO) vs. Manuel Vargas (26-4-1, 11 KO), 12 rounds, WBA Interim Super Flyweight Title – The easy write off for this would be to pick Donaire without a thought. Which I will, but there’s more to it. With Gerson Guerrero in the opponents spot, it would be an easy pick of speed vs. power. But with Manuel Vargas popping in at the last moment, we’re out to scramble for info on this unknown. And the last time Donaire could have been considered an “unknown,” he knocked out Vic Darchinyan. It’s still fairly safe to pick Donaire. The “Filipino Flash” has even further increased his speed and power in this training camp, while the biggest name Vargas has on his record is Donnie Nietes (a loss), and has only fought in America once (another loss). But Vargas does have that x factor Donaire needs to watch out for.
RHINO’S PICK: Donaire in eight. A little longer than I would normally give him, but I’m sure he’ll need a few feeling-out rounds.
All in all, a solid card. The weigh-in is open to the public Friday at 3pm in the Shimmer Cabaret inside the Las Vegas Hilton, with the Top Rank Tweet-Up directly after. Doors open at 4pm in the Hilton Pavilion and pay-per-view starts at 6pm Pacific. Tickets are still available; contact http://www.ticketmaster.com or http://www.lvhilton.com.
