ALTHOUGH a date and a venue isn?t set yet, World Boxing Organization (WBO) light flyweight king Donnie Nietes is preparing ahead of schedule for his much-anticipated rematch with Moises Fuentes.
The 31-year-old two division world titleholder is dead serious on winning this time around, stepping up preparations by setting up a training camp in the US.
?He is there to train for his rematch with Fuentes,? ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
Nietes arrived in San Diego yesterday and joined ALA Gym head coach Edito Villamor and stable mates Milan Melindo and Genesis Servania.
?We are still negotiating with Zanfer as to where the fight will be held, either in the Philippines or Mexico. If in the Philippines, it will be in Manila in May either at the Araneta or MOA (Mall of Asia) Arena. Nietes will be visiting different gyms like Milan and Genesis,? said Aldeguer.
Nietes should get an array of different sparring partners in the US and Mexico. In Servania and Melindo?s stay in the US, they have sparred with the likes of World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight king Scott Quigg, Hanzel Martinez and Rolly Lunas.
?We will be training here (in the House of Boxing in San Diego). Then we plan to look for sparring in other gyms in LA or in Tijuana. That?s the plan,? said Villamor.
Nietes defended his WBO 108-pound crown against Fuentes, who was the WBO mini flyweight champion then, in March of last year at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino here in Cebu. The fight ended in a majority draw.
Since their first meeting, the 28-year-old Fuentes has been busy and fought three more times. He beat Gerardo Verde by unanimous decision in June, then won the interim WBO light flyweight crown with a first-round stoppage over Luis dela Rosa and then stopped Omar Salado in the seventh round last November.
Nietes was less active and just fought once. He won by third round stoppage against Sammy Gutierrez last November.
Nietes is 32-1-4 with 18 knockouts, while Fuentes is 19-1-1 with 10 knockouts.
