Nietes nears top form for Palicte showdown

CEBU, Philippines — Three-division world champion Donnie 'Ahas' Nietes (41-1-4, 23KOs) of the ALA Boxing Gym  is close to peak form as he continues his training for his WBO super flyweight title showdown against fellow countryman Ashton 'Mighty' Palicte (24-2-0, 20KOs) on the undercard of HBO's Superfly 3 card on September 8 at The Forum in Los Angeles, California.

“Nietes will be facing a strong and taller opponent in Palicte, but we have already made adjustments,” said ALA trainer Edmund Villamor in a press conference yesterday at the St. Mark’s Hotel. “Right now, Donnie is close to 100 percent ready in his condition but it will be more than a hundred percent the moment he steps in the ring.”

Nietes, who is ranked No. 9 by The RING’s pound-for-pound list, will leave for the United States tomorrow full of zest and confidence that he will successfully accomplish his mission to become a four-division world champion.

The 36-year-old Nietes, who once held court in the WBO minimumweight and light flyweight and IBF flyweight divisions, also said that he is feeling stronger after he decided to move to 115 lbs. division.

“Moving to super flyweight is a great decision for me. I feel stronger, my reflex and speed are there and I can absorb punches coming from bigger sparring partners,” said the fighting pride of Murcia, Negros Occidental.

Nietes will have the final stage of his three-month training camp in the United States. He has logged more than a hundred rounds of no holds-barred sparring sessions.

"Donnie is ready. He has sparred with foreign sparring partners and ALA stablemates including Jeo Santisima and Virgil Vitor who are way bigger than him," said Villamor.

It will be Nietes' third tour of duty in the United States.  He scored an impressive seventh-round stoppage of Juan Carlos Reveco at the Superfly 2 last February in his first and only defense of his IBF flyweight belt.

The triple-header on HBO Boxing After Dark's live telecast will be headlined by the super flyweight showdown between former world champion Juan Francisco ‘El Gallo’ Estrada (36-3-0, 25KOs) and two-time world title challenger Felipe ‘Galito’ Orucuta (36-4, 30KOs).