NIETES TRIES TO CAPTURE RP'S 4TH WORLD TITLE TONIGHT
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 30 Sep 2007
CEBU CITY -- Negrense Donnie 'Ahas' Nietes of the ALA Boxing Gym will try to capture the Philippines' 4th world title tonight against the undefeated Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym of Thailand at the Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug this city.
Before July of this year, the Philippines has been without a title after Manny Pacquiao surrendered his IBF super bantam belt in January, 2004 after Pacquiao won his fight against Barrera in November, 2003 as a featherweight. The Fil-Am Brian Viloria had somehow fill the void when he won the WBC light flyweight title against Eric Ortiz of Mexico by a spectacular first round knockout on Sep. 10, 2005. Viloria however lost the title on his second defense against Omar Nino Romero the following year.
Last July 7, the Philippines won two world titles when Florante Condes wrested the IBF minimum weight crown against long-time title holder Muhammad Rachman of Indonesia in Jakarta and the heavy underdog "The Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire, Jr. shocked the boxing world when he knocked out in the fifth round the previously undefeated and flambouyant Armenian-born Aussie Vic Darchinyan to capture the IBF and IBO flyweight titles.
Gerry Pe?alosa added a third title for the Philippines when he knocked out the highly touted defending WBO bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzales of Mexico at the recent World Cup: Philippines vs Mexico in Sacramento, CA on Aug. 11.
Nietes (21-1-0 13KOs) and Pornsawan (20-0-0 15KOs) will vie for the WBO minimumweight diadem after former title-holder Ivan Calderon of Puerto Rico vacated it to campaign in the junior flyweight division.
Nietes has been given a more than even chance to annexed the Philippines' fourth world title and beat Pornsawan, whose style is to try to overpower his opponent with volumes of punches but lacks the one-punch knockout power. Ring pundits believe that Pornsawan's aggressive style will be a perfect setup for Nietes's powerful uppercuts that have sent his last three opponents to the canvas and were unable to get up to beat the count.
Nietes and Pornsawan came to the scales at identical 105 lbs, the miminumweight limit, at yesterday's weigh-in at the Cebu Grand Hotel. Nietes, who was forever accompanied by his pet snake coiled around his body and Pornsawan, who was always holding the rope that he said will thwart the power of Nietes's venomous reptile, appeared relax at yesterday's ceremony, the calm before the storm for tonight's expected explosive fireworks.
The show starts at 5 PM this afternoon at the Grand Ballroom of the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel with an equally explosive supporting bouts that include the Philippine championship fight between ALA Gym's Rocky Fuentes and Jaro Stable's Danilo Lerio and fast-rising prospect AJ 'Bazooka' Banal who will go up against Esau Gaona of Mexico for the vacant WBO World Youth Super Flyweight Title.
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