NIETES AND FUENTES BRACE FOR CRUCIAL TITLE BOUTS
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 19 Oct 2014
MANDAUE CITY,CEBU ? WBO world junior flyweight champion Donnie ?Ahas? Nietes and stablemate Rocky Fuentes are in the thick of preparations for their respective title contests. Nietes (33W-1L-4D,19KO?s) is scheduled to defend his title for the fifth time against Carlos Velarde (26-3-1,14KO?s) of Mexico on the main event of PINOY PRIDE 28 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel.
Fuentes (35W-7L-2D,20 KO?s) on the other hand, is set to fight on the road once again when he returns to Japan to challenge the undefeated WBC flyweight champion Roman ?Chocolatito? Gonzalez (40W-0L, 34 KO?s) of Nicaragua.
The sparring session between Nietes and Fuentes was the highlight of the public workout held Saturday at the Insular Square Mall to promote Nietes? defense against Velarde on November 15.
?I have already seen videos of Velarde?s fights,? Nietes told this writer, ?He?s good, I can?t take him for granted.?
Nietes, who also reigned as WBO minimumweight champion from 2007 to 2011, is aware of the historic significance of a title retention win against Velarde. He will be set to break the Philippine record for the longest uninterrupted reign of a world champion. The late great Flash Elorde was world junior lightweight champion for seven years and three months.
Nietes is also recognized by Ring magazine as the linear world junior flyweight champ and for the past seven years has been the most consistent big fight performer of the ALA gym.
On November 22, Fuentes will be fighting Gonzalez not just for a world title belt but to revive his career that was derailed after he lost to Thai Amnat Ruenroeng for the vacant IBF flyweight title.
Prior to the unanimous decision loss in Thailand, local boxing pundits thought that ?Road Warrior? was ripe for a world title. Fuentes was on a fifteen fight winning streak which included five wins in Japan in OPBF title bouts.
It?s been nine months since the loss to Ruenroeng. Rocky has not seen real ring action but has kept busy as a sparring partner. By fate or by design, he served as a sparring partner for Gonzalez when the Nicaraguan was preparing to challenge Akira Yaegashi.
Gonzalez? ninth round TKO win against the Japanese last September garnered him a third division world title as well as the Ring?s lineal world flyweight title.
Fuentes believes he has a good chance of scoring an upset win. Styles make fights and he has spent quality ring time with the Nicaraguan. It is a sentiment echoed by ALA Gym chief trainer Edito Villamor. But Fuentes? task is a formidable one. Gonzalez is also ranked number nine among the best pound for pound boxers in the world.
Fuentes? father, a former prizefighter, named his son after the popular fictional movie character, Rocky Balboa. A win in Japan will surely top any Hollywood script.
PHOTOS ? WBO junior flyweight champ Donnie Nietes and Rocky Fuentes (black trunks) spar in front of an appreciative crowd at the Insular Square in Mandaue City
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