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TWELVE months after he took the crown against Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym of Thailand on September 30, 2007, reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweight champion Donnie “Ahas” Nietes is finally given the chance to prove his dominion by facing the first challenger to the throne -- Nicaraguan warrior Eddy “Torito II” Castro on August 30 here in Cebu City.
Thrice he accepted challenge from world-rated pugilists, thrice the deal fell off for different reasons. He got first set to face WBO No. 4 mini-flyweight contender Sammy Guttierez of Mexico City but was called off before the deal began in February.
Then next came Columbian Daniel “El Olympico” Reyes on April in Dubai in the same card as International Boxing Federation and International Boxing Organization flyweight conqueror Nonito Donaire and International Boxing Federation king Ulises Solis. The fight was postponed to April 18, but was later cancelled.
Then came Mexican Erik Ramirez in Hidalgo, Mexico on July 5 but terms didn’t meet and the deal was off.
“WBO rules demand that a champion must have a mandatory defense within 12 months of winning the title; otherwise, the title will be stripped,” ALA Gym chief trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor explained.
Born in Murcia, Bacolod City, Negros Oriental recently named by MoneySense Magazine as the “Best Place to Live in the Philippines, Nietes silently built a stellar record of 22 wins, one loss, and three draws before he soared to boxing prominence after snatching the vacant WBO World minimumweight title in 2007. He stopped his opponents in half of his wins.
He debuted in professional boxing on April 25, 2003, and in only four years, Donnie “Ahas” Nietes rose to become the Philippines’ 33rd world champion.
The Nietes-Castro world title fight is included in an all-title defense blockbuster card, dubbed “WBO Night of Champions” at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel and Casino. The event will also have WBO Inter-Continental super bantamweight kingpin Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista against Mexican Eden Marquez. Fights start at 6:00 PM.
The boxing extravaganza is brought to Cebu City by ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN Sports. PR
