Nietes, seven other boxers, honoured in 29th SAC-SMB Cebu Sports Awards
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 18 Feb 2011
Cebu City - WBO minimumweight world champion Donnie ?Ahas? Nietes is boxing?s lone recipient of a major award during the 29th Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC)-San Miguel Brewery (SMB) Cebu Sports Awards. The event takes place this February 19 at the Ayala Activity Center.
Nietes is also one of the athletes in contention for the Athlete of the Year Award.
Nietes (27W-1L-3D, 15 KO?s) is honoured for his singular feat of successfully defending his title for the third straight time in Mexico against Mario Rodriguez last August 14, 2010. This was his fourth title defense in total and he has reigned as world champ for three years and five months. Nietes hails from
Bacolod City and has fought out of the ALA gym of Cebu as a professional since 2003.
He started 2010 by beating another Mexican, Jesus Silvestre by 10th round TKO in a non-title fight held in Pasay City.
Nietes' closest rival for Cebu?s Athlete of the Year award is Rogelio ?Banjo? Barcenilla, Jr. who was officially conferred the elusive chess Grandmaster title during the 81st FIDE Congress held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia in October of last year. He earned his third and final GM norm at Copper State International Chess Championship in Arizona last June 2009. Barcenilla is now based in the United States and traces his roots to Carcar, Cebu.
Among those up for major awards are Cebuano cue artists Warren Kiamco, who won a silver medal in 9-ball in the 2010 Asian Games and Rubilen Amit, who reached the semifinals of last year?s Women?s World 10-ball championship.
The awards night is considered the ?Oscars? of Cebu sports. Five more professional boxers will be given special citations on Saturday:
Milan?Metodico? Melindo (23W-0L, 7 KO?s) of Cagayan de Oro and the ALA Gym of Cebu won the WBC Youth Intercontinental flyweight title against Anthony Villareal of the U.S. last January 14, 2010. He would fight three more times,
knocking out Komrit Twins Gym of Thailand in his first title defense in Dubai. He then stopped Jin-man Jeon of Korea before scoring the biggest win of his career by beating Carlos Tamara of Colombia by unanimous decision at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel last November 27, 2010.
Rocky Fuentes (28W-6L-2D, 18 KO?s) of Mambaling, Cebu City and the ALA Gym won the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) flyweight title last March 9,2010 by majority decision against Masafumi Okubo of Japan. He would fight two
more times in Japan, stopping Shigetaka Ikehara and Yasuto Aritomi. His third defense was a 2nd round TKO win over Inthanon Sithchamuang of Thailand at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel last November.
Roli Gasca (15W-1L, 2 KO?s) of Barili, Cebu and the ALA gym won the Pan Asian Boxing Association (PABA) Bantamweight title with a stunning upset 6th round KO win over the defending champion from Thailand, Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat, who was previously ranked number 3 by the WBA.
Malcolm Tu?acao (28W-2L-3D, 17 KO?s) of Mandaue City captured the OPBF bantamweight title by split decision over Seung-suk Chae of South Korea. He defended his title twice in Japan in 2010 and for the third time early this month with a technical knockout win over Japanese challenger Daigo Nakahiro.
Mercito ?No Mercy? Gesta (20W-0L-1D, 10 KO?s) of Labogon, Mandaue City went on a tear in the U.S., winning four bouts this year and the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) Youth lightweight title with a fourth round stoppage over Oscar Meza of Mexico.
Former amateur standouts Albert Pagara and Michael Romarate will also be given citations for their performance in national tournaments last year including the Dante Tinga Cup ? National Invitational Amateur Boxing Team Championships.
Pagara and Romarate have since turned professional and continued their winning ways.
The winner of the SAC Athlete of the Year award will be announced during Saturday's awards ceremonies.
(Photos above: clockwise from top left ? Nietes, Fuentes, Gesta, Gasca, Tunacao and Melindo)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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