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Philippines, 28 Apr 2024 |
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SPORTS SHORTS 36: DONNIE NIETES AND ALBERT PAGARA FACE SEPARATE FOES IN RING COMEBACK By Maloney L. Samaco PhilBoxing.com Tue, 26 Jan 2021  D4G Promotions in association with Round 10 Boxing Club and MTK Global have announced a boxing event happening in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 3, 2021 with four-weight world champion Donnie Nietes and world contender Albert Pagara facing opponents yet to be announced and to be broadcast live in the US on ESPN+. Nietes (42-1-5, 23 KOs), age 38 years of Murcia, Negros Occidental, will prove to the boxing world that he is still a force to reckon with and he still has a lot of gas left in his tank. * * * Nietes last fought on December 31, 2018, when he won the vacant WBO super flyweight title after defeating Japan's Kazuto Ioka via split decision at Wynn Palace, Macau. He became the third Asian to win world titles in at least four weight classes. American judge Patricia Morse Jarman scored it 116-112 and Levi Martinez also of USA had it 118-110 for Nietes while Samuel Nieto of Panama saw it 112-116 for Ioka. Nietes joined Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire Jr. as the only Filipinos to win four division world championships. * * * After winning the belt, Nietes was ordered to defend his title against fellow Filipino Aston Palicte in a rematch. They fought to a contested split draw on September 8, 2018 at The Forum, Inglewood, California. He didn't favor the intention of fighting a fellow Filipino again and was looking at more lucrative fights against super flyweight giants like Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, Juan Francisco Estrada and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. He afterwards decided to surrender his title, which resulted in a long inactivity. * * * Nietes held the WBO mini-flyweight title, WBO and The Ring magazine junior-flyweight titles, IBF flyweight title and WBO junior-bantamweight title. He is the longest-reigning Filipino boxing world champion, breaking in 2014 the record set in 1967 by Boxing Hall of Famer Gabriel "Flash" Elorde. He hopes to get another shot at a world title before he hang his gloves. Nietes did not get the chance to fight any of the three great fighters. He is hoping the fate will happen this time with his new promoters. * * * Nietes has already learned from the unpleasant experience and hopes to regain the title. Most probably, he will face a non-contender first as s tune-up fight because of the long layoff. Nietes has been training to his old fighting form together with Pagara and with rising boxers at the newly installed Villamor Brothers Boxing Gym owned by Edito and Edmund Villamor, formerly ALA Gym trainers. * * * Meanwhile, Pagara last fought in 2020. He beat veteran Virgil Puton of Polomolok, South Cotabato, by unanimous decision in an eight-rounder in one of the fights of Omega Pro Sports International's two-part boxing show last December 18, 2020. Pagara (33-1, 23 KOs), age 26 years of Maasin City, Southern Leyte, is oozing with talent and has the potential to become a future world champion. Pagara had a stumbling block when he list in an eighth round knockout against Mexico's Cesar Juarez in July 9, 2016 in San Mateo, California. Pagara has recovered after that debacle and won seven straight fights. * * * Pagara stopped Ratchanon Sawangsoda of Si Sa Ket, Thailand on August 17, 2019 at the Ormoc Superdome, Ormoc City, Leyte. He defended then his WBO intercontinental super bantamweight belt for the second time after winning by first round KO last November 24, 2018 against George Krampah of Accra, Ghana at the IEC Convention Center, Cebu City. He won the title belt in a fight against Krampah’s Ghanian countryman Laryea Odoi by third round TKO on June 9, 2018 at the Maasin City Gym. * * * WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney explains that former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, is training like he's going to face a top welterweight. The 43-year-old Mayweather, a five division world champion, is preparing himself for an exhibition fight with Youtube star Logan Paul of Westlake, Ohio. The 25-year-old Paul, who stands at 6'2 and weighs 200-pounds, has a big size advantage against Mayweather, who is 5'8" and weighs around 150 pounds. * * * But Mayweather's enormous advantage in experience and all-around expertise will be too difficult for Paul to counter. Several fans and experts are already treating the fight with Paul to be a mismatch, but Mayweather of Grand Rapids, Michigan is not taking the contest lightly, according to Haney. "His work ethic is crazy because he is still working. He still gets up at 5 or 6am to go running," Haney told Sky Sports. "He is training in the gym. He works like he's going to fight one of the top welterweights today." Haney added he is thankful to spend time training and to learn from the "Michael Jordan of boxing." * * * Kawhi Leonard finished with 34 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the Clippers past a bothersome Oklahoma City Thunder team, 108-100. The win was the Clippers' seventh in a row, as they remained undefeated since blowing a 22-point lead against the Golden Warriors, and improved their record to 13-4, which is tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the best win-loss slate in the league so far. Over that winning streak, Leonard has averages of 29.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game, while shooting 57 percent from the field, 48.7 percent from 3-point area and 96.9 percent from the free throw line. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.  |
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