NIETES BEATS IOKA, CAPTURES 4TH DIVISION WORLD TITLE
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 31 Dec 2018
MACAU ? Donnie Nietes captured his 4th division world title, annexing the WBO world super flyweight crown after defeating Kazuto Ioka of Japan by split decision at the Grand Theater of the Wynn Palace Cotai here Saturday night. Judges Levi Martinez had it 118-110 and Patricia Morse Jarman 116-112 for Nietes while judge Samuel Nieto had it 116-112 for Ioka. Philboxing had it 116-112 for Nietes.
The fight began with both fighters feeling out each other with jabs and the fight heats up with Nietes sneaking in a couple of lefts as the round end. Ioka tried to pressure Nietes in the succeeding couple of rounds but the crafty Nietes countered with hard rights to the head and left to the body when their bodies get closer as Nietes dominated in the first half of the fight.
Ioka changed tactics in the second half of the fight by circling and coming in and out to get some point but every time the Nietes was in striking distance, the snake was able to connect with his deadly counters. Nietes connected with the most telling punches throughout the night while Ioka had his biggest punch in the 10th round when he tagged Nietes with a big left cross to the head.
Nietes now cements his legacy as one of the greatest fighters the Philippines has produced and should be in the conversation as a future Hall of Famer. Ioka, meanwhile, has to go back to back to the drawing board and plot his way on how to capture his 4th division world title if he want to continue to fight.
The event was held at Wynn Palace Cotai's Grand Theater which was configured to a 600 VIP seating capacity. Wynn Palace Cotai is a $4.1 billion hotel-casino complex that opened in August, 2016, Wynn Properties' second project in Macau, with 1700 luxury rooms located on a 52-acre property at Macau's Cotai island populated by grand casinos comparable to the popular Las Vegas strip gambling mecca.
The triple world championships, dubbed as Lifetime Boxing Fights 1 was promoted by Lifetime Boxing Promotions in partnership with TLARock Entertainment, 360 Promotions, ALA Promotions, Watanabe Gym and DEF Promotions.
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