Donnie Nietes has an excellent chance of becoming a 4-division world champion on New Year?s Eve, according to fight analyst Dennis Principe.
The 36-year-old Negrense is set to slug it out with younger Japanese fighter Kazuto Ioka for the vacant world junior bantamweight title on Monday, December 31, in Macao.
?He’s the more veteran fighter and has more ring guile than Ioka,? said Principe.
?Kasi si Ioka, napansin ko lang ?pag ang kalaban niya is a mover, he tends to follow his opponent. Donnie Nietes is good at that.?
The one thing Nietes will have to add coming into the title bout is aggressiveness.
Nietes, who has held world titles as a mini-flyweight, junior-flyweight, and flyweight, is coming off a controversial draw against countryman Aston Palicte in September.
To avoid such a scenario playing out again, Nietes will have to up his intensity against the Japanese fighter.
?He should be more aggressive. If he’ll be wise sa laban na ito, he can win. But can he gain the attention of major TV networks?” said Principe, who cited Nietes’ ability to put his foes to sleep as shown by his seventh-round stoppage of top contender Juan Carlos Reveco in February.
“Knocking Ioka out is the only way for him to be able to realize his long time wish of facing the best pound-for-pound fighters of his division.?
