Nietes to fight Palicte in LA
Three-division world champion Donnie 'Ahas' Nietes (41-1-4, 23KOs) of the ALA Gym will slug it out with fellow countryman Asthon 'Mighty' Palicte (24-2-0, 20KOs) in another all-Filipino world championship bout for the WBO super flyweight title on the undercard of HBO's Superfly 3 card on September 8 at The Forum in Los Angeles, California.
This was confirmed by ALA Promotions President and CEO Michael P. Aldeguer, who looks forward to another historic moment in Philippine boxing.
"It will be huge for the Philippines having two Filipinos fighting for the world title on the big stage as Donnie (Nietes) tries to make history of being a fourdivision world champion," said Aldeguer.
The 35-year-old Nietes once held court in the WBO minimumweight and light flyweight and IBF flyweight divisions.
The triple-header on HBO Boxing After Dark's live telecast will be headlined by the super flyweight showdown between former world champion Juan Francisco ‘El Gallo’ Estrada (36-3-0, 25KOs) and two-time world title challenger Felipe ‘Galito’ Orucuta (36-4, 30KOs).
It will be Nietes' third tour of duty in the United States. He caught the fancy of Pinoy fans in LA with a crushing seventh-round stoppage of Juan Carlos Reveco at the Superfly 2 last February in his first and only defense of his IBF flyweight belt.
In an amazing streak, Nietes has not suffered a loss since September 2004.
Like Nietes, the 27-yearold Palicte also fights for the third time on US soil. In his US debut, he decisioned then undefeated Oscar Cantu on December 17, 2016 in Las Vegas, then followed it up with a fifth round KO of Jose Alfredo Rodriguez on December 8 last year in Round Rock, Texas.
Interestingly, both are Negrense. Nietes hails from Murcia, Negros Occidental while Palicte comes from Bago City in the same province.
The Nietes-Palicte duel in the second all-Pinoy world title clash in just two months time and third overall in the annals of Phl boxing.
Last May at the Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California, Jerwin"Pretty Boy" Ancajas outpointed Jonas "Zorro" Sultan to retain his IBF junior bantamweight crown.
The first world championship match involving Pinoy boxers took place 93 years ago when Pancho Villa defended his flyweight throne against Clever Sencio in 1925 in Manila.