Nietes assures victory tonight

MANILA, Philippines - WBO lightflyweight champion Donnie (Ahas) Nietes isn’t taking Mexican challenger Moises Fuentes lightly but guaranteed a win in their much-awaited 12-round rematch at the Mall of Asia Arena tonight.

Nietes, 31, said he’s not expecting Fuentes to make any dramatic changes from the style he showed when they battled to a furious majority draw in Cebu City in March last year. “No surprises,” said Nietes in Filipino. “His best punch is the right straight and he’ll go to the body. He’s flat-footed. He’s not a come-forward fighter, he likes to move in and out. If he traps you, he’ll throw a lot of punches. I’ll be patient, wait for his move and counter. I’ll show my best to deliver a good result. I know he’ll also do his best but I guarantee I will win.” It is Nietes’ fourth defense of the crown he wrested from Mexico’s Ramon Garcia in Bacolod three years ago.

Nietes put in over 100 rounds of sparring to prepare for Fuentes. He even stayed in the US and Mexico for a month to train, sparring with the likes of former world champion Giovani Segura and WBO Latino superflyweight titleholder Matthew Villanueva. His chief local sparmates were Milan Melindo and former IBF lightflyweight ruler Johnriel Casimero. Nietes said his training with strength and conditioning coach Nick Curson, who operates the Speed of Sport center in Redondo Beach, California, has given him a huge edge over Fuentes.

“I’ve watched my fight against Fuentes at least 10 times,” said Nietes. “I felt I won. This time, I’ll improve on my follow-through, speed and power. If you don’t counter, he’ll run all over you but if you counter, he’ll back off. With Nick, I worked on my stamina, speed and power with good timing and balance. I’m now more relaxed when I punch so there is more impact. Before, I was too ‘gigil.’ I’m very confident. I can’t promise a knockout but I know I’ll win.”

Nietes shrugged off the presence of Fuentes’ manager and ring legend Marco Antonio Barrera who blew into town the other day. “I’m not afraid,” he said. “Barrera is Barrera and Fuentes is Fuentes. Fuentes doesn’t fight anything like Barrera.”

Asked if he’s aware of how close he is to breaking the late Flash Elorde’s record of an uninterrupted reign of seven years and three months as world champion, Nietes said he’s not thinking of it. Nietes took the WBO minimumweight crown in September 2007 then surrendered the throne to claim the WBO lightflyweight title in October 2011. He will mark his seventh straight year as world champion in September this year but that’s assuming a win over Fuentes. The difference between Elorde and Fuentes is the ex-Bogo bootblack set the record as world champion in only one division.

“Fuentes is my big test,” said Nietes. “After Fuentes, I’ll probably make one or two more defenses then move up to flyweight where I’m excited to fight (WBA/WBO champion Juan Francisco) Estrada and Chocolatito (unbeaten Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez). I’m expecting to fight two or three more years.”

Nietes has come a long way since working for Tony Aldeguer at the ALA Gym in Cebu as a utility hand over 10 years ago. One of his early chores was taking care of Aldeguer’s pets, including snakes. After cleaning up the premises, Nietes used to stay around to watch the ALA Boys train. One day, Nietes decided to try his luck in the ring and it eventually led to a pair of world championships. Today, Nietes lives in Cebu with his wife Joy, their daughters Dionne Nicole, 3, and Dianne Coleen, four months, and two pet snakes, Donnie II, 4, and a six-month-old reptile he plans to name Moises.

Nietes is unbeaten in his last 24 outings since suffering his only loss to Angky Angkota, who was six pounds over the 108-pound limit, on a disputed split decision in Jakarta in 2007. He’s coming off a sensational third round stoppage of Mexican challenger Sammy Gutierrez last November. His record is 32-1-4, with 18 KOs. Fuentes, 28, has a 19-1-1 record, with 10 KOs, and has won three in a row since the first Nietes bout, outpointing Gerardo Verde and stopping Luis de la Rosa and Omar Salado.

Hall of Fame referee Robert Byrd, who spent 34 years with the California Highway Patrol, will be the third man in the ring. The judges are female Waleska Roldan of New York, Robert Hoyle of Las Vegas and Fernando Laguna of Spain.

In the main aperitifs, WBO International flyweight champion Milan Melindo stakes his crown against Mexico’s Martin Tecuapetla in a 12-rounder and one-time world title challenger Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista takes on Mexico’s Sergio Villanueva in a superfeatherweight tenner. Also in the undercard, unbeaten Cuban Reymi Castellano Aleye faces Junmar Dulog in a lightweight eight-rounder.