NIETES BUCKS INJURED RIGHT HAND TO GIVE RODRIGUEZ A BOXING LESSON (PHOTOS)
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 12 Jul 2015
CEBU CITY ? WBO light flyweight champion Donnie ?Ahas? Nietes bucked an injured right hand from the seventh round onwards to give mandatory challenger and former WBO/IBF minimumweight champion Francisco ?Chihuas? Rodriguez of Mexico a boxing lesson to retain his title with a comfortable unanimous decision before a sell-out crowd at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino on Saturday night.
Rodriguez tried to pressure Nietes with an aggressive start but the longest reigning Filipino world champion who was making his eleventh world title defense, seven as a light flyweight, was too smart and too clinical for the 21 year old Rodrguez who failed in his bid to win a second world title in the main event of "PINOY PRIDE XXXI: Battle of the World Champions."
As promised after an extra week of training at the Elorde Gym along Taft Avenue in Manila which was apparently intended to help make him the 108 pound limit, Rodriguez attempted to use his hand-speed to overcome the power of Nietes who said after the fight that he could have knocked out the Mexican challenger if he didn?t hurt his right hand when he caught Rodriguez with a shot to the head in round seven.
Nietes connected with several hooks and uppercuts especially in the first half of the fight and although he appeared to fade a little in the eleventh round, Nietes connected with a superb flurry of punches to turn the challenger?s face into a bloody mess as he bled from his nose and mouth as he chased Nietes in a futile effort to try and score a knockout.
Nietes suffered a small cut on his right eye in the eleventh round while Rodriguez also had a small cut in the second round caused by a punch but the cuts didn?t bother either fighter.
The three foreign judges, two Americans and a Canadian, all turned in scorecards in favor of Nietes although there were some wide disparities.
Lady judge Liza Giampa had Nietes the winner by a wide 118-110 margin while Robert Hecko had the champion ahead by an even wider margin of 119-109 but Benoit Roussel turned in a much closer 115-113 scorecard.
Ahas Nietes enters the ring with his snake.
Both protagonists engage in close quarter combat.
Combatants talk after the intense 12-round bout.
WBO president Paco Valcarcel congratulates Nietes after retaining his title.
WBO president Francisco ?Paco? Vacarcel approached us after the fight and pointed to his head signifying that Nietes was the smarter fighter and added, ?Rodriguez had heart but Donnie gave him a boxing lesson.?
Referee Russell Mora did an excellent job and stayed on top of the action throughout and warned Rodriguez several times for using his elbows in sneaking in some cheap shots when they engaged at close range while he also cautioned Nietes for a couple of low blows although he didn?t penalize either fighter for the infractions.
After Mora warned Rodriguez in the 5th round to ?watch your elbows? he went to the corner at the end of the round and warned his cornermen ?if you use your elbow one more time I'll take a point away? but he wisely didn?t deduct a point which would have been regarded as a damper.
Nietes was at his best in rounds five when he connected with a left to the side of the head and the body and followed it up with a solid uppercut in round six and nailed Rodriguez with some excellent counter-punches that stopped the challenger in his tracks.
Nietes continued to demonstrate his precision punching with a three-punch combination in the ninth round before Rodriguez, realizing that his title chances were slipping away upped the tempo of his attack and ended the round with a flurry. And as Nietes appeared to tire Rodriguez lunged forward with haymakers that failed to find the mark as Nietes coasted to victory in the final round.
Mora told ring announcer Ted Lerner when the final bell rang ?I?m glad its over? as he was, like many of the spectators, bothered by the hot and humid atmosphere with the air-conditioning unable to cope. Mora also thanked both fighters for what he termed ?a great fight? and told them ?thank you very much.?
In a sporting gesture after the fight Rodriguez acknowledged that Nietes deserved the win and paid tribute to the champion?s class by presenting him with the Mexican sombrero he wore during the colorful walk-in.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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