NIETES SETS SIGHTS ON BIG FIGHTS
After winning IBF flyweight belt, Nietes says he wants to face other champions Aldeguer eyes September or November title defense for Nietes ALA also open to big fights abroad for Donnie if the offer is right
After winning his third division world title last weekend, new International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight champion Donnie Nietes wants to fight the big guns and clean out his new division.
“I want to unify with the other champions but it still depends on their (ALA Promotions) plan. But for me I really want to unify all the titles in the flyweight division,” said the 34-year-old Nietes.
Nietes beat tough Thai Komgrich Nantapech by a convincing unanimous decision last Saturday night at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino. He won the fight with scores of 117-111, 117-111 and 115-113.
ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer believes that moving up in weight won’t be an option for Nietes because he felt that Nietes was a bit small against Nantapech.
“Right now he wants the bigger fights. We’ll see if there is a mega fight that we can make, like a unification. The problem is that the big names like ( Juan Francisco) Estrada and (Roman) Gonzales have moved to 115. Look at Donnie now, the Thai looked a bit bigger. Right now we’re still looking at 112. Maybe the biggest fight out there is a unification, maybe the 115 is a bit farfetched. He would have to defend it this year. Either we defend it or right now he needs bigger fights. We’ll try to make it happen,” he said.
The current flyweight cham- pions are World Boxing Council’s Juan Hernandez, World Boxing Association’s Kazuto Ioka and World Boxing Organization’s Zhou Shiming.
Aldeguer said that Nietes could return on either Sept. 16 in Bacolod City or in November. A huge offer for a big fight outside the country could also be a possibility. /