SUPERFLY 3: NIETES VS. PALICTE, ESTRADA VS. ORUCUTA, IOKA VS. ARROYO
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 30 Jul 2018
Three-division world champion Donnie Nietes guns for his fourth world crown when he clashes with countryman Aston Palicte in the third edition of the well-liked SuperFly series on September 8 at the Forum in Los Angeles.
Nietes (41-1-4 with 23 KOs) of Murcia is coming off from a very impressive 7th round TKO win over Juan Carlos Reveco of Argentina on February 24 and will fight Palicte (24-2 with 20 KOs), a fellow Negrense from Bago City.
The 36-year-old Nietes has won world titles at minimumweight (four title defenses), junior flyweight (nine defenses) and flyweight (one defense).
Originally planned next month in Cebu, promoter Tom Loeffler called ALA Sports Promotions CEO and Nietes' manager Michael Aldeguer and Loeffler will have the fight staged in Superfly 3.
For the second time since May when Jerwin Ancajas decisioned Jonas Sultan in Fresno, California, two Filipinos will be squaring it off for a world championship.
Nietes is the country's most decorated fighter next to Manny Pacquiao over the past ten years and will face the 27-year-old Palicte, who is promoted by Roy Jones Jr. They will fight for the title vacated by Japanese Naoya Inoue who went up to the bantamweight class.
Tom Loeffler, the head of 360 Promotions said to BoxingScene.com: "It's another great lineup, this is one of the most popular series on television for boxing, it's among the highest television ratings and just the fan approval from 'SuperFly 1' and 'SuperFly 2,' now 'SuperFly 3,' we'll have some great fighters on it."
Loeffler said Nietes is going to fight for the vacant WBO world superflyweight title. "Donnie was on 'SuperFly 2' had a great victory so it will be great to have him back."
SuperFly 3 will headline Juan Francisco Estrada, who eagerly demaded a rematch with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai for the WBC superfly title. "That was really one of the leading candidates for 'fight of the year'. So if Estrada has another big win on HBO, then I could see them doing that rematch at the beginning of next year," Loeffler added.
Estrada (36-3, 25 KO's), a former WBA unified and WBO flyweight champion, fought 12 exciting rounds with the Thai WBC superflyweight champion on 'SuperFly 2' and lost a close majority decision.
Juan Francisco Estrada is set to battle fellow Mexican Felipe Orucuta in the 12-round main event of the tripleheader, announced Loeffler.
Loeffler had hoped to make a rematch between Estrada and world titleholder Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, who edged Estrada by majority decision in a slugfest that headlined SuperFly 2, also at The Forum, on Feb. 24.
But when Sor Rungvisai opted to instead take an Oct. 6 defense in his home country of Thailand, Loeffler turned to Orucuta (36-4, 30 KOs), 32, who has won five fights in a row but lost both to Omar Narvaez, by split decision in 2013 and majority decision in 2014 in two WBO world superflyweight title fights both fought in Argentina.
Opening the HBO telecast is a 10-round bout involving three-division world champion Kazuto Ioka (22-1, 13 KOs) of Japan. He has held the strawweight, junior flyweight and flyweight titles, and will end his brief retirement. All his pro fights so far were held in Japan and he will fight his first match in the United States against McWilliams Arroyo (17-3, 14 KOs) of Puerto Rico.
Arroyo lost in his two attempts at the world title, by decision to Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez in 2016 and Amnat Ruenroeng in 2014. He fought in SuperFly 2 and won a majority decision over Carlos Cuadras.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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