By Dave Lahr: Things aren’t looking good for challenger Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 KO’s) as he tries to get ready for his fight against WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 24 KO’s) on February 19th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Donaire, 28, has reportedly been suffering from bad leg cramps while sparring recently.

This is obviously something that Montiel is going to exploit on 2/19. The old legs are starting to give out on Donaire, and this is just sparring against overmatched sparring partners. I can’t wait to see Donaire’s legs giving out on him as he’s being stalked around the ring by the biggest puncher in the bantamweight division. Donaire’s legs are really all that he has between him and a certain knockout loss. Once his legs are gone and have turned to rubber, Montiel will be able to find Donaire’s tender chin and will be able to lay Donaire out and finish off. Donaire’s legs look a lot like the skinny legs that Babe Ruth once had. When you pack on weight on the upperbody the way that Donaire has done, those skinny little legs can’t handle it.

In an article at examiner.com, Donaire tried his best to explain away his weak legs, saying “Robert was telling me to slow down. I was doing a lot. I wanted to work out. Today, HBO came through. I didn’t really have much rest. I didn’t really pay attention to my vitamins and all that stuff and I didn’t drink enough water. But I still made it through 10 rounds. I wasn’t tired at all. I felt good. This always happens when I train every time I forget to drink water. Everything is going well.”

Look at that. Donaire is trying to blame his cramps on not drinking enough water. Yes, Donaire, we all have excuses to make about our weaknesses, but I think water has nothing to do with this. I see some weak legs that carry all the weight that Donaire has been packing on to try and fight at bantamweight. The mind is willing but the flesh is weak. This is going to go badly for Donaire, I hate to say. When the legs go, Donaire will be as helpless as a kitten against Montiel. I can just see the excuses flying from Donaire’s busted lips after the fight, something along the lines of “I didn’t drink enough water.” It’s going to be sad to see the excuses afterwards.