World champion Donnie Nietes and top rated ring fighters Arthur Villanueva and Milan Millendo, the explosive trio from ALA Gym are primed for boxing showdowns against their respective Mexican opponents in Pinoy Pride 36 ? A Legend in the Making ? at St. La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod City this Saturday.
Fighting before his townmates and in front of his relatives and friends, Nietes, the reigning WBO world junior flyweight champion, said it will be an opportunity for him to show them the skills that made him the longest reigning Filipino world boxing champion.
?I am happy to be able to bring this fight to Bacolod City and I have trained and prepared well for this match against Raul Garcia,? Nietes said.
Scheduled for 12 rounds under the 108-pound weight division, Nietes said his conditioning is very good and he was able to spar for more than 100 rounds against his stablemates in ALA Gym.
?This will be a very good fight as Garcia is also a former world champion. I am not taking anything for granted,? Nietes said.
Meanwhile, WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight champion Villanueva said he is now familiar with the boxing style of his opponent, Juan ?El Penita? Jimenez of Mexico.
Villanueva said that he has seen the videos of Jimenez’ previous fights and he is now aware of his strengths and weaknesses.
He said he will go for the knockout if he gets the opportunity.
Milendo, on the other hand, will have to perform according to their game plan even as his opponent, Maximino Flores, also from Mexico was picked only two weeks ago. He was supposed to fight Javier ?Cobra? Mendoza.
While he barely knows Flores and has not seen any video footage of his fight, Milendo said he has prepared well for the 12-round fight and it will not make any difference who his opponent will be.*NAB
