NIETES ASKS WBO: “I WANT MY BELT BACK, GIVE ME THE WINNER OF IOKA VS CINTRON”
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 06 Dec 2019
Nietes (R) interviewed by the Japanese media.
TOKYO – Filipino four-division world champion Donnie 'Ahas' Nietes lobbied with the WBO to give him the winner of the Kazuto Ioka vs Jeyvier Cintron championship fight scheduled at the end of the year here in Tokyo.
Nietes who came to the WBO Convention to receive an award by the WBO in recognition of his achievement as a four-division world champion, stood before the WBO executive committee and addressed its president Francisco Valcarcel and its members, as follows:
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Paco Valcarcel and the WBO for their support all these years. Being a WBO world champion in three weight divisions for more than seven years meant the world to me. I am hoping the WBO would give me another chance to fight for the WBO super flyweight belt against the winner of Ioka vs Cintron. It will be a great honor for me to fight for the WBO championship again.”
In response, Valcarcel told Nietes he will wait for the result of the Ioka-Cintron fight and that the WBO will reinstate Nietes in the WBO rankings in the super flyweight division.
Donnie Nietes (C) receives a trophy from WBO president Francisco 'Paco' Valcarel (left of Nietes) and WBO vice-president Leon Panoncillo Jr (right of Nietes) during the gala and awards night of the 32nd WBO Convention at the Tokyo Dome Hotel in Tokyo, Japan Thursday night, Dec. 5, 2019.
After capturing titles in the minimumweight, mini-flyweight and flyweight divisions, Nietes moved up to super flyweight in 2018 and fought compatriot Aston Palicte on Sep. 8, 2018 in Inglewood, CA for the vacant WBO super flyweight title where the verdict ended in a controversial draw. Nietes then fought again for the vacant title against Kazuto Ioka of Japan on Dec. 31, 2018 in Macau where he won by split decision to capture his fourth division world title.
Palicte, meanwhile, still a top contender in the division, knocked out Jose Martinez of Puerto Rico in the second round in his comeback fight and was placed by the WBO as Nietes' mandatory challenger. Nietes, fully convinced he won against Palicte in their September fight, refused the rematch opting instead to give up the title. The WBO then dropped Nietes in the rankings and mandated Palicte to fight Ioka for the vacant title where Ioka prevailed over Palicte by 10th round stoppage.
Now Ioka is slated to defend the title for the first time against two-time Olympian Jeyvier Cintron (11-0-0) at the Ota-City Gymnasium in Tokyo and Nietes wants his title back by asking the WBO to have the winner of the Dec. 31 fight face him.
Whether Nietes will outright challenge for the title remains to be seen. Without the belt in his hand, he may not have enough leverage to demand to fight the champion.
“If Ioka wins this fight [against Cintron], he knew he did not win the title from Nietes,” ALA trainer and matchmaker Edito Villamor told Philboxing. “And Nietes beat him in Macau. With his Japanese pride, I think he will fight Nietes to redeem himself.”
ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer said he “wants to give a tune up fight for Donnie but Donnie doesn't want a tune up and wants to immediately challenge the winner of the Ioka-Cintron fight.”
“So we'll see,” Aldeguer said.
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