Philippines, 18 Jul 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


NIETES WINS BY TKO OVER VELARDE; WILL BREAK ELORDE'S RECORD BY NEW YEAR


PhilBoxing.com




CEBU CITY ? Donnie 'Ahas' Nietes retained his WBO junior flyweight belt via 7th round TKO after his corner refused to allow Carlos Velardo to fight at the beginning of the 8th round due to the cut he suffered earlier as hall of fame referee Robert Byrd immediately raised Nietes' hand in victory to the delight of the full-house crowd at the Waterfront Hotel & Casino here Saturday night.

Nietes thus successfully hit his target to break Filipino boxing legend Gabriel 'Flash' Elorde's long standing record set in 1967 as the longest reigning world champion in the Philippines. Nietes, however, has to wait for the clock to strike at 12:01 on January 1, 2015, the new year, to officially surpass Elorde's record of seven years and three months.

Nietes dominated Velarde with accurate head shots and uppercuts the whole night and was comfortably ahead in all the judges scorecards after the 7th round. Rose Lascend of the United States has it 68-65; Masakazu Murasi of Japan, 70-63 and Salven Lagumbay of the Philippines, 70-63.

In other results, Milan Melindo won by unanimous decision over speedy Saul Juarez in chess match. Scores were 115-113 by Ian Scott of New Zealand, 116-112 by Alejandro Lopez of Mexico and 118-111 by Samson Libres of the Philippines.

'Prince' Albert Pagara won impressively by unanimous decision over Raul Hirales of Mexico. Pagara sent Hirales to the canvas in the third round en route to a dominating scores of 120-107, 120-107 and 119-108.

Former world champion Merlito 'Tiger' Sabillo suffered the lone defeat by the Philippines when he lost via 4th round TKO against Faris Nenggo of Indonesia.

AJ Banal won by unanimous decision over Maxsaisai Sithsaithong of Thailand while up and comer Mark Magsayo won by 2nd round TKO over Korea's Moon-San Jung.

The big surprise of the night was the fight between WBO and IBF world champion Francisco Rodriguez of Mexico who was brought into deep waters by late substitute and heavy underdog Jomar Fajardo of the Philippines. Rodriguez was hitting Fajardo with volume punches in the early rounds when a looping right apparently broke Rodriguez's nose in the 3rd round that bled throughout the fight. The fight ended in a split draw with scores 98-92, 95-95 and 94-96.

Photo: Referee Robert Byrd raises Nietes' hand in victory Saturday night at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Cebuana Lhuillier-backed Blu Girls Pull Off Stunning Comeback Against World No 3 Puerto Rico, Split Doubleheader in Lima
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • "Pipino" Cuevas: 50 Years as Mexico's Youngest World Champion
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • IBA Secretary General & CEO, Chris Roberts OBE: Regulation is how IBA pave the way forward for Bare-Knuckle Boxing
    , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • EVERY WORD FROM THE FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE FOR PACHECO VS. ALEEM IN CARSON, CALIFORNIA
    , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • WBO Youth Champion Esteban Garson Signs Agreement with Tuto Zabala Jr.'s All Star Boxing, Inc.
    , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • Wheels and Waves 2026 at August 8 & 9 in Samal
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • FM Rico Salimbagat leads IIEE Chessmasters team in Bundesliga
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • MCGIRT: WE HAVEN’T SCRATCHED THE SURFACE OF PACHECO’S TALENT
    , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Announces Tickets Are Now on Sale & Special Guests Confirmed for 10th Annual Awards & Induction Weekend
    , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • Puma Half Marathon kicks off July 19
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • Asian Youth Chess in China
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 17 Jul 2026
  • NONSTOP ACTION ADDED TO ROACH VS. ZEPEDA WITH STACKED UNDERCARD
    , Thu, 16 Jul 2026
  • Heavyweight Dainier Pero Looks to Continue His Climb Against Aleem Whitfield Live on ESPN
    , Thu, 16 Jul 2026
  • Ryan Garcia Set to Defend World Title Against Conor Benn in Paramount+ Global Bout at T-Mobile Arena on September 12 over Mexican Independence Day Weekend
    , Thu, 16 Jul 2026
  • Fight Result: Yuga Ozaki Stops Jerry Francisco in Tokyo
    By Dong Secuya, , Thu, 16 Jul 2026
  • Bruno Tarimo returns to Headline Dragon Fire Boxings next event; BOXINGMANIA August 8th in a WBA Championship clash with Junlun Zhao
    , Thu, 16 Jul 2026
  • Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimán: The WBC Reaps Rewards in Uruguay
    By Mauricio Sulaimán, , Wed, 15 Jul 2026
  • Risky proposition for Charly
    By Joaquin Henson, , Wed, 15 Jul 2026
  • Michael Zerafa opponent revealed as August 12 tickets go on sale for Gold Coast blockbuster
    , Wed, 15 Jul 2026
  • Cebuana Lhuillier-backed Blu Girls Stay in the Hunt Despite Opening Setback, Shift Focus to Japan Showdown
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 15 Jul 2026
  • BiYu Promotions' Yusniel Abrahante Ready to Shock Undefeated Luis Coria on ProBox TV This Saturday
    , Wed, 15 Jul 2026
  • Showdown in Tokyo: Jerry Francisco Challenges Undefeated Yuga Ozaki for WBO Asia Pacific Title Today
    By Dong Secuya, , Wed, 15 Jul 2026
  • RUIZ JR. FACES KNYBA AT PRUDENTIAL CENTER, NEWARK, NJ ON SEPT 4 – LIVE ON TNT AND DAZN
    , Wed, 15 Jul 2026
  • MATCHROOM AND DAZN LAUNCH PROJECT SERIES ON AUG 28
    , Wed, 15 Jul 2026
  • Pinoy woodpushers confident in Asian Youth tilt in Shenzhen, China
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 15 Jul 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.