DONNIE NIETES: I CANNOT BEAR THE SHAME OF LOSING BEFORE MY PEOPLE, THEY MADE ME WIN MY SECOND BELT
By Chito Yu Katangkatang
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 10 Oct 2011
?Garcia was my toughest fight. He is a great champion. I had my hard times in the later rounds. But I thought about my victories in Mexico and told myself that I cannot bear the shame of losing in front my own countrymen. Failure can never be an option. And when I heard the crowd shouting my name, I told myself I am going to get that belt for my people and I will fight with everything I have to fulfill that mission.? Those were the direct words of newly crowned WBO Junior Flyweight Champion Donnie ?Ahas? Nietes after he dzethroned Mexican Champion Ramon Garcia-Hirales.
In a jam-packed La Salle Coliseum, Donnie ?Ahas? Nietes proved to the world that skills and heart can win world titles. The pride of Negros Occidental dominated the first five rounds of the fight making the Mexican champion miss and get hit with accurate shots to the head and body.
In the sixth round, Garcia became the aggressor and applied pressure on Nietes who appeared to be short of gas and energy to win the rounds. Nietes used the ring to his advantage and did well in protecting himself from taking any serious punishment from the Mexican warrior. Garcia was able to corner Nietes several times and tagged the Filipino with good shots. Garcia was the dominant and busier fighter up to the tenth round but failed to inflict any significant damage on Nietes.
A clash of heads at the beginning of the eleventh round opened a huge cut on the left eyebrow of Nietes but instead of distracting the Pinoy challenger, it triggered him to go for broke and throw all punches he could to win the remaining rounds. The loud cheers of the Bacolod crowd added fire to the hometown fighter giving him more fuel to get more aggressive up to the sound of the final bell.
The fight was a close one but from this scribe?s point of view as a boxing observer, Nietes was able to invest points in the first five rounds. Garcia took rounds six to ten but Nietes took back the remaining two rounds of the fight thus giving Donnie a 115-113 win identical to score given by Filipino international judge Atty. Danrex Joseph Tapdasan. Judge Liza Giampa scored the fight 118-110 while Judge Carlos Ortiz hazd it 117-111 all in favor of the now two division world champion Donnie ?Ahas? Nietes.
According to ALA Promotions Patriarch Antonio Aldeguer, ? Donnie did a great job in maintaining his weight up to the weigh in. But he failed to recover and regain his original weight came fight night. Donnie usually weighs at 118 pounds and up during fight night but this time he was too light. Garcia came up as the bigger and more powerful fighter tonight. But Donnie used his skills and experience. He won this fight fair and square and he deserves all the credit. We should just learn our lesson and avoid the same mistake when he defends his title.?
Our country has another world champion. Donnie Nietes, the humble and unassuming fighter from the quiet town of Murcia, Negros Occidental has conquered another weight division and has given us more reasons to be proud that we are Filipinos.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Chito Yu Katangkatang.
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