Malacañang lauds Donaire's TKO win

Malacañang on Sunday hailed the stunning second-round technical knockout (TKO) victory by Filipino boxing sensation Nonito Donaire Jr. over Mexico’s Fernando Montiel, saying it was another feather in the cap of the country’s boxers. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Donaire did not let the country down after predicting he would earn his victory in the early stage of the fight. “Masayang-masaya tayo. This is another feather in the cap of our boxers. Filipino pride na naman ito, so talagang very thankful tayo sa karangalan na dinala ni Nonito Donaire sa ating bansa (We are very happy. This is another feather in the cap of our boxers. This is Filipino pride, so we are very thankful for the honor Donaire has brought to our nation)," she said on government-run dzRB radio. A day earlier, Valte expressed confidence Donaire would win, as he had already gained a reputation as an upcoming “Mexicutioner," the moniker for a fighter who has beaten many Mexican opponents. “Confident tayo na mananalo si Nonito bukas (Sunday). Sinusundan natin ang development, alam nating lumalabas ang mga report lalo na kapag malapit na ang fight. Confident tayong mapapatumba ni Donaire si Montiel (We are confident Nonito will win on Sunday. We have been following developments as the fight nears. We are confident Donaire can beat Montiel)," she said in an interview Saturday on dzRB. She noted however that most analysts did not expect Donaire to put down Montiel so early in the bout. “I was watching one of Donaire’s interviews. Hindi siya nagbigay ng particular round, sabi lang niya early stage. He did not let us down, so congratulations (I was watching one of Donaire’s interviews where he said he would win in the early stage. He did not let us down, so we congratulate him)," she said. While Valte could not immediately confirm if President Benigno Aquino III watched the TV coverage of the bout, she said Aquino made sure to be updated. She said Aquino has made it a point to be constantly updated on international sports events featuring Filipino athletes. “Alam ko may nagse-send ng update sa kanya, especially kung meron tayong atletang lumalaban sa ibang bansa (As far as I know, he is updated especially when our athletes take part in international events)," she said. Donaire, the challenger, clearly won the first round by using his jab and several solid straights as the more aggressive fighter. Montiel came to life in the second round and scored on a few combinations as he came forward, which became his undoing. After releasing a wild right, the Mexican champion was immediately rocked by a left hook from Donaire that sent him slumping to the canvas. While Montiel made it back to his feet, referee Russell Mora stopped the fight at 2:25 of the round after a brief flurry from Donaire sent the Mexican backwards to the ropes, apparently defenseless. In the undercard, Filipino welterweight prospect Mark Melligen earned a unanimous decision win over Gabriel Martinez. - KY, RCJ, GMA News