Longest reigning Filipino world boxing champion Donnie Nietes is moving up to the full flyweight limit of 112 pounds after dominating challengers in the Junior Flyweight with his first upcoming bout against former world champion Edgar Sosa on Sept. 24.
Nietes will bne joining fellow Filipino IBF Flyweight champion Johnriel Casimero, who is set to defend his title for the first time against British challenger Charlie Edwards on Sept. 10 at The O2 Arena, Greenwich, London, England. Another Filipino ex-world champion Bryan Viloria, who is still ranked No.3 in the Ring rating, has been fighting in the 112 pounds limit. He recently lost to pound-for-pound king Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Nietes debut in the full Flyweight limit mark the beginning of his search for lucrative fights which he could not find in the Light Flyweight division. Nietes has been fighting on a meager purse for the past decade mainly because of the limited opportunity available to boxers in the lower weight limit where he fights. Big-money fights start at the 122-pound weight limit where the likes of Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, Carl Frampton, and Scott Quigg, among others are making good money. Nietes is way below the bantamweight limit, which is why he is eager to move up a notch higher to 112 pounds and eventually to 115 where he could collide with pound-for-pound king Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in what could be his most lucrative fight ever. Read more: The 34-year-old native of Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines, is in for a tough fight against Sosa, who is a former WBC Light Flyweight champion. While Sosa has suffered more defeats (nine defeats against Nietes’ one loss), he is a veteran of 61 pro fights with haft of those fights coming by way of knockouts. A win by Nietes over Sosa could set him up against either Juan Estrada or ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez down the road.
