Fernando Montiel facts for kids

Fernando Montiel Martínez (born March 1, 1979) is a famous Mexican professional boxer. He is known for being a world champion in three different weight classes. He held the WBO flyweight title, the WBO junior bantamweight title (twice), and the combined WBC and WBO bantamweight titles.

Early Life and Boxing Beginnings

Fernando Montiel is the youngest child in his family. His father, Manuel Montiel Sr., was also a professional boxer and is now Fernando's trainer. Fernando has four older brothers who were also professional boxers.

Fernando learned how to box in his father's gym in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. He trained alongside another well-known boxer, Jorge "Travieso" Arce.

The Story Behind His Nickname

Fernando's nickname is Cochulito. He explained that one of his father's sisters couldn't say his father's name, Manuel de Jesus, when she was little. So, she called him "Cochul." The nickname was then passed down to Fernando, but in a smaller version, "Cochulito," which means "Little Cochul." It's important to know that this nickname has nothing to do with a rooster, even though some people thought it did!

Fernando Montiel's Professional Boxing Career

Fernando Montiel started his professional boxing journey on December 6, 1996, when he was just 16 years old. He quickly built an impressive record of 20 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw.

Becoming a Flyweight Champion

After his early success, Fernando challenged Isidro García for the WBO Flyweight title. Fernando won the fight in the seventh round, becoming a champion at only 20 years old. He successfully defended his Flyweight title three times against tough opponents like Olympic medalist Zoltan Lunka, former champion Juan Domingo Córdoba, and future champion Jose "Carita" Lopez.

Moving Up to Super Flyweight

Fernando then decided to move up to the super flyweight division. In his next fight, he defeated WBO Champion Pedro Alcázar to win another title. He defended this super flyweight title against Roy Doliguez and also beat former champion Ruben Sánchez León. However, he later lost the title to Mark Johnson.

In 2004, Fernando won all three of his fights. He then regained the WBO super flyweight title by knocking out Ivan Hernández. Fernando continued to defend his super flyweight title multiple times against boxers like Evert Briceno and Pramuansak Posuwan.

Challenging for the Bantamweight Title

After defending his super flyweight title, Fernando moved up to the bantamweight division to challenge WBO Champion Jhonny González. He lost this fight by a close decision.

Fernando then returned to the super flyweight division and continued to defend his title. He won against fighters like Z Gorres, Cecilio Santos, Luis Melendez, and former champion Martín Castillo. On May 31, 2008, in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, Fernando successfully defended his WBO title for the eighth time by defeating Luis Maldonado.

Becoming a Bantamweight Champion

In his next match, Fernando moved back up to the bantamweight division and defeated future champion Juan Alberto Rosas. On March 28, 2009, he won the Interim WBO Bantamweight title by knockout. A month later, on April 25, Fernando was made the full Bantamweight Champion, becoming a world champion in three different weight classes!

On September 12, 2009, Fernando had a fight against Alejandro Valdez that ended in a technical draw. On February 13, 2010, he successfully defended his WBO Bantamweight title by knocking out Filipino boxer Ciso Morales in the first round.

Unifying the Bantamweight Titles

On April 30, 2010, Fernando Montiel faced WBC Bantamweight Champion Hozumi Hasegawa in Tokyo, Japan. Many people thought Hasegawa would win, but Fernando surprised everyone by knocking him out in the fourth round. This win ended Hasegawa's five-year reign as champion and meant Fernando now held both the WBC and WBO Bantamweight titles!

On October 30, 2010, Fernando successfully defended his unified titles against Rafael Concepción, knocking him out in the third round.

Losing the Titles to Nonito Donaire

A big fight was planned between Fernando Montiel and Nonito Donaire for February 19, 2011. Before that, Fernando had a non-title fight against Jovanny Soto on December 10, 2010, which he won by knockout.

The highly anticipated fight against Nonito Donaire took place on February 19, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fernando Montiel suffered his first knockout loss in the second round, losing his WBC and WBO bantamweight titles.

Later Career and Challenges

After losing his titles, Fernando announced he would move up to the super bantamweight division because it was getting difficult for him to make the bantamweight weight limit. He bounced back with wins over future champion Nehomar Cermeno and Alvaro Perez. However, he then faced Victor Terrazas for a vacant title and was defeated after 12 rounds.

Fernando then went on an impressive eight-fight winning streak. During this time, he moved up to the Featherweight division and secured a win over former champion Cristobal Cruz. His winning streak ended when he faced Lee Selby for the IBF World Featherweight Title, losing after 12 rounds. In his very next fight, Fernando suffered a first-round knockout loss to Jorge Lara.

Fernando Montiel's Boxing Achievements

Fernando Montiel had a long and successful career. He fought a total of 62 professional fights, winning 54 of them. Out of his wins, 39 were by knockout, showing his powerful punches! He had 6 losses and 2 draws.

Major World Titles Won

• WBO Flyweight Champion
• WBO Super Flyweight Champion (twice)
• WBC Bantamweight Champion
• WBO Bantamweight Champion

Other Important Titles

• WBO Interim Bantamweight Champion
• WBA North American Super Flyweight Champion
• USNBC Silver Super Bantamweight Champion

See also

In Spanish: Fernando Montiel para niños