NIETES, SOSA PROMISE FIREWORKS THIS SATURDAY
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 23 Sep 2016
CARSON, CA ? The Philippines' longest reigning world champion Donnie 'Ahas' Nietes and former long time WBC light flyweight champion Edgar Sosa of Mexico came face to face during the final press conference held at the Carson Community Center here Thursday noon (early Friday morning in Manila) and both promised to make a good show on their WBO Inter-Continental flyweight showdown on the main event of 'Philippines vs Mexico' this Saturday at the StubHub Center, the go to venue of big time boxing events south of Los Angeles .
Nietes (38-1-4, 22KOs) who gave up his WBO light flyweight belt to seek the biggest fights in a higher division, said he felt very comfortable in his new weight and will have an acid test by facing the formidable Sosa in the new division. ?Before, I struggled a lot to make weight [at 108 lbs] now I felt more relaxed and I believe my power is still there. This will be a good fight against Sosa on Saturday.?
Sosa (52-9-0, 30KOs), on the other hand, promised to ?make a good show?, adding ?I am mentally, emotionally and physically ready to face Nietes.? Sosa's manager and trainer Jorge Barrera told Nietes ?We'll show you what we've got.?
Both fighters however refused to make a prediction on how the fight will end but both said that ?if an opportunity for a knockout comes, they will seize it.?
Nietes decided to drop his WBO junior flyweight belt a few months ago to pursue possible lucrative fights with then WBA/WBO flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada and then WBC flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez. But Gonzalez, the acknowledged No. 1 pound for pound fighter in the world, gave up his flyweight belt to fight WBC super flyweight king Carlos Cuadras last Sep. 10 which Gonzalez won by unanimous decision. Estrada also decided to gave up his flyweight belts, just this week, to pursue a fight with Gonzalez and will face Filipino Raymond Tabugon on Oct. 8 in his initial fight of the super flyweight division. That left Nietes without a dance partner in his new division which has been left almost void by the two most bankable names in the lower weights.
?I am going to stay here for a while and after, I will follow Gonzalez and Estrada in the super flyweight division,? Nietes, who is now ranked No. 1 by the WBO in the flyweight division after dominating the light flyweight and minimumweight divisions, said.
Staying for a while could probably mean dominating his new weight, and if he gets past Sosa this Saturday, facing the likes of Zou Shiming (WBO No. 2) and Kwanpichit Onesongchai (WBO No. 3) either one he will most likely face for the title.
Nietes' promoter Michael Aldeguer said he will ?discuss with the WBO president when he will see him during the WBO convention next month in Puerto Rico on what possible fights Nietes will take going forward.?
Flyweight debutante Donnie Nietes (L) of the Philippines and former world champion Edgar Sosa of Mexico face each other during the final press conference of 'Philippines vs Mexico' held at the Carson Community Center in Carson, California.
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