NIETES LOOKS IN TERRIFIC SHAPE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 23 Jul 2010
Clearly one of the most dedicated fighters in the famed ALA Gym, the largely underrated Donnie ?Ahas/The Snake? Nietes should have no trouble in retaining his WBO minimum weight title against Mexico?s Mario ?Dragoncito? Rodriguez in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico on August 14 even though his pet python which he drapes around his shoulders when entering the ring, won?t be withn him.
Nietes jokingly told Viva Sports who shot footage of Nietes training at the Elorde Gym in Gilmore, San Juan on Thursday for a feature on only the second current world champion from the Philippines aside from Manny Pacquiao, that he couldn?t get a visa for the snake.
Nietes and his trainer leave for Los Angeles on Saturday and will work out at Freddie Roach's Gym for some two weeks before leaving for Mexico.
Nietes appeared to be in terrific shape. Nietes went six hard rounds on the punch mitts with trainer Edmund Villamor and cracked the mitts with both speed and the kind of power that is not common among fighters at the lower weight of 105 pounds.
Nietes went through an entire routine and never looked tired which is a testament to his dedicated training regimen aside from the ALA Gym?s new conditioning coach Pio Solon whom Nietes credited for his new found strength and power.
Nietes has a record of 26-1-3 with 15 knockouts and his title defense against Rodriguez who is ranked No. 10 by the WBO will be his third title defense in Mexico.
He scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Erick Ramirez on February 28, 2009 in a fight where he dropped the Mexican four times in rounds one, five, nine and twelve en route to a comfortable win before scoring a split decision win over Manuel ?Chango? Vargas on September 12, 2009.
In his last bout Nietes scored a 10th round TKO over Jesus Silvestre who is currently ranked No. 11 by the WBO.
The 28 year old champion won the title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Thailand?s Pornsawan Porpramook on Septemner 30, 2007 and said he doesn?t plan to lose or relinquish his title until a another ten years.
After a strenuous workout Nietes and trainer Villamor predicted that the champion would win by a knockout to make sure that that they won?t be hurt by any hint of a hometown decision should the fight go the distance.
A glance at the record of the 21 year old Rodriguez indicates the real possibility of a Nietes KO win as the Mexican drew in an eight round bout against Rigoberto Casillas last June 19, 2010 after scoring a 4th round knockout over German Aaron Cota whose record was a miserable 0-20-3.
The only noteworthy performance by the challenger who will be fighting on a promotion of former Mexican legend Erik ?El Terrible? Morales was a ten round draw with the solid Ivan Meneses.
However, Rodriguez won the WBC Continental Americas title with a 12th round TKO over Raul Castaneda in a rematch last May 15, 2009 after dropping an eight round majority decision to Castaneda on October 31, 2008.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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