Nietes belittles Mexican rival, says Big Dome bout a tune-up

MANILA, Philippines - If it was his way of intimidating his Mexican opponent, Filipino Donnie Nietes couldn’t have found a better way to deliver the message.

“I consider this a tune-up fight,” said Nietes who puts his WBO light-flyweight crown against Sammy Gutierrez tomorrow night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In yesterday’s final press conference for the explosive Pinoy Pride 23 card, the 31-year-old Nietes sat just a few seats away from his opponent.

Gutierrez doesn’t speak English, and it took a translator to relay to him Nietes’ statement. Of course he didn’t like it, but the 27-year-old Mexican didn’t say much either.

“This is not going to be an easy fight,” said Gutierrez who came to the Philippines armed with a 44-9-2 record with 23 knockouts.

Gutierrez is no patsy and if things don’t turn out right, Nietes, who is 36-1-4 with 17 knockouts, might end up eating his own words.

Nietes has been a world champion for six years and is trying to either match or surpass the record of the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, who reigned as world champion for over seven years.

Nietes won the WBO minimumweight champion in 2007. He defended it four times before he won the WBO light-fly title in October 2011 against Mexican Ramon Garcia Hirales in Bacolod.

Tomorrow’s fight will be Nietes’ third defense of the title. If he succeeds, he wants a rematch with Mexican Moises Fuentes following their draw in Cebu City last March.

“This is a title fight but a tuneup fight for me,” said Nietes, the pride of ALA Boxing Promotions under the youthful boxing patron Michael Aldeguer.

Another Filipino world champion, WBO minimumweight king Merlito Sabillo, will stake his crown against Nicaragua’s Carlos Buitrago.

It’s the biggest Pinoy Pride presentation so far, according to Aldeguer of the star-studded card dubbed “Filipinos Kontra Latinos.”

The card was originally set in Dubai but Aldeguer said they found it as an opportunity to show the world that the country can hold a double world-title card.

It also comes right after Nonito Donire Jr. and Manny Pacquiao scored spectacular victories coming off bitter losses.

Milan Melindo, still in search of a world title, faces Mexico’s Jose Alfredo Rodriguez for the WBO International flyweight title while Jason Pagara takes on Vladimir Baez of the Dominican Republic for the WBO International light-welterweight crown.

Featherweight AJ “Bazooka” Banal resumes his quest for glory against Puerto Rico’s Lucian Gonzalez while Jimrex Jaca locks horns with Indonesia’s Wellem Reyk in a light-welterweight clash.

“This is an event Filipinos deserve,” said Aldeguer.