WBO orders Nietes vs Palicte
THE World Boxing Organization (WBO) has ordered threedivision world champion Donnie Nietes and fast-rising prospect Aston Palicte to fight for the vacant super flyweight belt in yet another All-Filipino world title fight this year.
“I received the letter from the WBO early this morning. We will start negotiations with Roy Jones’ team immediately, starting today,” ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer said.
This is the second world title match between two Filipino fighters after International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight titleholder Jerwin Ancajas and Jonas Sultan were mandated to fight this year. Ancajas is defending his belt against mandatory challenger Sultan, Nietes’ teammate at the ALA Gym, on May 26 in Fresno, California.
“It’s going to be a historical moment for Philippine boxing, having two world title fights involving two Filipinos in the same division,” said Aldeguer. “We are open to fighting in the US as well as in the Philippines. The other world title fight, SultanAncajas, will be in Fresno, California. So maybe if we all agree, it would be best to stage it in the Philippines on July 21.”
The last time two Filipino fighters faced each other for a world title was 93 years ago, when the legendary Pancho Villa defended his World Flyweight belt against Clever Sencio at the Wallace Field in Manila in 1925.
“If we promote it, it will be in Pinoy Pride 45 with ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN,” said Aldeguer. “Our stand is we want it in the Philippines. It depends if they could make an enticing offer for Nietes, but since Palicte is Filipino, there is no point in forcing the issue of fighting abroad since we have a date on July 21 in the Philippines. SultanAncajas will be in the US, so I think the most logical move is to stage the fight here in the country of both fighters.”
Nietes is rated No. 1, while Palicte is No. 2 in the WBO super flyweight rankings. The title was recently vacated by Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, who moved up to the bantamweight division, paving way for the Nietes vs. Palicte world title fight.
The 35-year-old Nietes, 41-1-4 with 23 knockouts, is fresh from a successful title defense of his IBF flyweight belt with a seventh round knockout of former world champion Carlos Reveco in February in Inglewood, California. He, however, relinquished his belt just last month in search of a fourth division world title.
Palicte had an impressive campaign last year with technical knockout wins over former world title challengers Jose Alfredo Rodriguez and John Mark Apolinario. The 27-year-old Palicte, a long and big super flyweight, is 24-2 with 20 knockouts.
“This is the time where the Philippines can show the world that there are still a lot of great Filipino fighters in the Philippines after the (Manny) Pacquiao era. This is the time for Philippine boxing to shine after Manny opened the doors. Two world title fights involving four Filipino fighters, it shows the respect Filipino fighters have in the boxing world,” said Aldeguer. SunStar Cebu