By Dave Lahr: HBO analyst Roy Jones Jr. was really lathering on the praise for Nonito Donaire (26-1, 18 KO’s) last Saturday night after Donaire shockingly stopped WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. After the fight, Jones Jr. said “I think in my book, he’s [Donaire] pound-for-pound the second guy on the list behind Manny Pacquiao. With that pound for pound list, because Floyd Mayweather isn’t active right now. Because he’s not active, this is why this kid is number #2.”

I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with Donaire being number #2 regardless of Mayweather being out of commission. I see a lot more proven fighters than Donaire that should be number #2 on the list. I see Juan Manuel Marquez as being a more complete and proven fighter than Donaire. Montiel looked tiny compared to the much bigger Donaire, and Montiel also looked slightly weight drained for the fight. I’d like to see a rematch between them at super bantamweight where Montiel would have a few more pounds on his frame and would be better prepared to take any shots he gets hit with. He needs to keep his left hand high and he’ll block Donaire’s main weapon his left hand.

On my pound list, I have Donaire around number #11 behind guys like Marquez, Sergio Martinez, Bernard Hopkins, Andre Ward, Miguel Cotto, Lucian Bute, Amir Khan, Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Lopez, and Yuiriorkis Gamboa. I see those guys as better fighters and more proven guys compared to Donaire. Just because he beat a weight drained smaller fighter like Montiel, it doesn’t mean that we should hastily crown him as the second best fighter in boxing. Jones needs to step back and take a look at the other fighters that he’s promoting Donaire over. And then come back and take a look at the guys that Donaire has been facing.