Nietes yearns to expand reign at super flyweight
There’s no stopping Donnie ‘Ahas’ Nietes’ rapid ascent to the boxing echelon.
After retaining his International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight title with a masterful seventh round stoppage of Argentina’s Juan Carlos Reveco, Nietes swiftly made known his intent of expanding his glorious reign at the super flyweight level.
Last Sunday at the Forum in Inglewood, California, Nietes literally grabbed the HBO spotlight in his first live telecast fight when he put on a solid, all-around show to easily dismantle the hapless Reveco.
Dominant from the opening bell, Nietes unleashed a flurry of body shots capped by a crushing left hook that sent Reveco down on both knees for good late in round seven.
A visibly dazed and groggy Reveco tried to beat the count but his corner quickly threw in the towel, prompting the referee to stop the bout at the 53-second mark of the seventh round.
Nietes now holds a 41-1-4 record packed with 23KOs, while Reveco fell to 39-4 with 19KOs.
“I’m very happy that I was able to deliver a good performance especially in such a big card here in the US. It’s also a good thing that I scored a knockout,” said Nietes, who rose from his humble beginnings as a janitor at Cebu's fabled ALA Gym to one of the greatest Filipino boxers of all time.
Although already adorned with great accomplishments, the pride of Murcia, Negros Occidental wants more.
The 35-year-old Nietes said he looks forward to a showdown with the big names either in the flyweight or super flyweight class to further galvanize his legacy.
On top of his hit list is former pound-for-pound king Roman ‘Chocolatito” Gonzalez of Nicaragua.
“I really want to be a champion in the super flyweight class. That is my next goal,” said Nietes in expressing his desire to become a four-division world champion, something that only Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire, Jr. has achieved, so far.
The reigning IBF 112-pound titleholder, Nietes also once held court in the WBO minimum weight and light flyweight classes.
“I am eager to challenge the big names out there like Chocolatito (Gonzalez) or any champion in the super flyweight. Whichever champion is going to come forward, I want the fight,” Nietes ended.