Philippines, 07 Jun 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:

  • Mindoro beats Mexican, stays undefeated
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sun, 07 Jun 2026
  • Panamanian Government, Roberto "Hands of Stone" Durán, and the Mexican Márquez Brothers Join Forces for Amateur Boxing Megaproject
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sun, 07 Jun 2026
  • Alex Eala advances to Birmingham Open finals
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 07 Jun 2026
  • Santé Barley Trilogy Run Asia 2026 Davao Leg 2
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sun, 07 Jun 2026
  • Casimero stops Nery in 4th round
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sat, 06 Jun 2026
  • Edward Vazquez keeps title hopes alive by winning razor-thin unanimous decision over Daniel Lugo in Main Event of ProBoxTV
    , Sat, 06 Jun 2026
  • LABAN PILIPINAS! Kenneth Llover Ready to KO His Way to a World Title Shot
    By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 06 Jun 2026
  • Nery Does It Again: Overweight, But Casimero Says Let’s Fight!
    By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 06 Jun 2026
  • Undefeated Gabriela Tellez to Challenge Elif Nur Turhan for IBF Lightweight World Title June 13 in Glendale, AZ
    , Sat, 06 Jun 2026
  • SHEFFIELD FIGHT WEEK: OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN RESULTS, FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER FOR PADLEY VS FIAZ – LIVE ON DAZN
    , Sat, 06 Jun 2026
  • Bruce “2.0” Seldon Jr.: From a Champion’s Son to Heavyweight Headliner
    , Sat, 06 Jun 2026
  • Mexican fighter ¨Artillero¨Rodriguez passes away after suffering brain injury on weekend fight
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 06 Jun 2026
  • NEGROS OCCIDENTAL PILLARS CROWNED SBA SEASON 2 CHAMPIONS
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 06 Jun 2026
  • Weights from Japan: Llover - 117.7 lbs., Angeletti - 117.5 lbs.
    By Dong Secuya, , Fri, 05 Jun 2026
  • Antonio Vargas Locked in for Career-Defining Title Defense Against Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez as Training Camp Winds Down
    , Fri, 05 Jun 2026
  • Weights From ‘Vazquez vs. Lugo’ Event from College Park Center in Arlington, TX, & Broadcast Live on ProBoxTV
    , Fri, 05 Jun 2026
  • SHEFFIELD FIGHT WEEK PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES: EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID AS JOSH PADLEY AND AQIB FIAZ FACE OFF
    , Fri, 05 Jun 2026
  • “I would not say Yoka is more dangerous.” Murat Gassiev's coach Kadushin on boxer's training camp
    , Fri, 05 Jun 2026
  • Homecoming for super middleweight prospect Elijah Garcia to be showcased June 20 on Kingsley Ibeh vs. Dante Stone card in Phoenix
    , Fri, 05 Jun 2026
  • Amateur Standout Kayla "The Truth" Gomez Set for Professional Debut on MF Pro's "Pugilist Revolution" June 19 in Long Beach
    , Fri, 05 Jun 2026
  • Tancontian to lead PH team in Sambo Asia-Oceania
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 05 Jun 2026
  • Clarion to fight for WBC Youth World super flyweight title in Japan
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 04 Jun 2026
  • 2026 NBA Finals: Knicks Steal Game 1 in San Antonio 105-95
    By Reylan Loberternos, , Thu, 04 Jun 2026
  • LAMONT “THE REAPER” ROACH JR. AND WILLIAM “EL CAMARÓN” ZEPEDA TO BATTLE FOR THE WBC LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
    , Thu, 04 Jun 2026
  • Ramirez vs. Richards - Weigh In Results
    , Thu, 04 Jun 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.