MANILA, Philippines ? Argentina?s Omar Narvaez doesn?t mind the underdog tag against Filipino hotshot Nonito Donaire.
A week before he shoots for Donaire?s two world titles at Madison Square Garden in New York, Narvaez told a local TV station that he relishes his lowly billing in the scheduled 12-round showdown the WBC and WBO bantamweight crowns.
?I know that I am the underdog for this fight,? said the unbeaten 36-year-old Narvaez. ?These are the kind of fights that I want to be in because this will bring out the best in me.?
Narvaez, who parades a 35-0-2 win-loss-draw record with 19 KOs, said everyone will be in for a shock.
?Everyone is going to find out that I am too fast and strong as well. I am going to surprise a lot of people on the 22nd.?
Narvaez is up against a fighter regarded as one of the world?s very best regardless of weight and Donaire is expected to take care of business at the 4,500-seat Theater inside Madison Square Garden with the cool efficiency of a seasoned assassin.
While it?s been eight months since he last fought, his second-round knockout of Fernando Montiel remains fresh in everyone’s mind as if that fight happened a few days ago.
In that bout, Donaire needed just one punch to separate Montiel from his senses, a knockout win that has gone down as one of boxing?s scariest endings ever.
