Montiel (right) was at his awesome best when he knocked out Martin Castillo at the MGM Grand in defense of his WBO super flyweight title.
You won’t find Fernando Montiel’s name on any of the world pound-for-pound rankings, but it should probably be there. He’s only lost two fights in thirteen years and both of those were by way of close decisions.
The Mexican standout is a former flyweight and two-time super flyweight world titlist with a career record of 38-2 -1 (28)KO and he’s made 12 successful defenses of those title belts.
Montiel is fighting on Bob Arum’s “Tijuana Thunder” pay-per view card Saturday night from the Plaza de Toros Monumental in Tijuana, Mexico. He’ll face an unknown in Argentina’s Diego Oscar Silva (the # 3 ranked contender) for the interim WBO Bantamweight title and Montiel is heavily favored to win.
He’s as confident as any fighter you will ever talk to and he says he’s ready to meet Silva, even though he’s never seen him fight before.
“I don’t know anything about this guy I’m fighting on Saturday night, not a thing. But I know myself and I know I can fight and I will do what I have to do,” said Montiel through a translator on Tuesday afternoon.
“This fight this weekend is very important to me because this will be my fourth world title in three different weight divisions. So when I win this fight on Saturday night it will put me up there with the other great fighters in Mexican history like Chavez, Morales and Barrera,” said the 30 year-old Montiel.
Vic Darchinyan currently holds three of the four belts at 115 pounds. Montiel wants to take him on should Darchinyan decide to travel north to the Bantamweight division.
“A lot of people talk about me fighting Vic Darchinyan, but first I’ve got to get by this guy this weekend,” said the man also known as “Cochulito” who is very happy with the way his body feels with his recent move up to the 118-pound weight class.
Darchinyan is of course ranked in the top-10 of most pound-for-pound rankings as he holds wins over several well known names at 112 and 115 pounds and he is the current undisputed champ at 115.
“Bob Arum has mentioned to me that there might be a possibility that we could get a fight with Vic Darchinyan after I win on Saturday," says a hopeful Montiel. "So I want to tell you something, I just want to win and then after that I just want to be wherever Darchinyan is. Do you understand what I’m saying? After this, I want Vic Darchinyan and I will go where he is to get him.”
March 2009
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