MANILA, Philippines ? Bob Arum has seen them all after more than 46 years of promoting many of the biggest fights in history.
While he admits that the thunderous fists thrown by Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard in the 1980s and even Manny Pacquiao’s one-punch demolition of Ricky Hatton are up there with the very best, the 79-yearold Top Rank chief remains awed by Nonito Donaire’s second-round knockout of Fernando Montiel last February.
“(That was) one of the most devastating punches I have ever seen,” said Arum during yesterday’s teleconference call promoting the Oct.
22 slugfest between Donaire against Argentine strongman Omar Narvaez at the Theater inside Madison Square Garden in New York.
In that fight, Donaire sent the durable Montiel down as though he had just struck the Mexican with a gunshot to the head.
Montiel twitched as he struggled to shake off the cobwebs and even if he managed to get up, he was in terrible shape to continue fighting.
Next week, Donaire is determined to make a splash opposite the unbeaten Narvaez.
But the California-based Filipino is not taking his South American foe lightly.
“He knows how to take a fight into the later rounds,” said Donaire.
“We’re ready.” Donaire ranks among the very best in the world pound-for-pound.
