THE king is here to stay, or so that is what Donnie Nietes thinks.
He will show tonight why he?s the king of the light flyweight division as he promises the best performance of his 12-year boxing career against Mexican challenger Francisco Rodriguez.
?I will give him a fight and I will show my very best performance ever,? said the 33-year-old longest reigning Filipino world champion.
Nietes defends both his World Boxing Organization (WBO) and the lineal The Ring light flyweight titles against the hungry former WBO and International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight champion Rodriguez in the main event of Pinoy Pride 31- ?Clash of the World Champions? at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino.
Nietes is certain that his reign will continue and that he?ll fend off his challenger emphatically.
?I will knock him out. I don?t know what round but I have a very good feeling that I?m going to knock him out,? he said.
Nietes has everything to lose in this fight, not only his titles but also a crack at the big names at 112, where he hopes to capture his third division world title.
?Every fight is important to me. I have to win because I might be fighting more renowned boxers, possibly at a higher weight division,? said Nietes.
Nietes tipped the scales at exactly 108 pounds. The 21-year-old Rodriguez, on the other hand, was a pound over the light flyweight limit, before making the weight in his second try after taking off his underwear.
Though Nietes is up there in age, he has been impressive in all of his fights last year, stopping younger fighters Moises Fuentes, Gilberto Parra and Carlos Velarde.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, got somehow exposed in his first visit here in Cebu but luckily walked away with a draw against last-minute replacement Jomar Fajardo, who he was supposed to easily demolish. He, however, made up for that fight and beat Fajardo by unanimous decision in their rematch in Mexico.
?This will be his stepping stone for bigger fights. He could move up in weight against some of the big names at 112 like (Juan Francisco) Estrada, (Roman) Gonzalez and (Giovani) Segura. At 33 years old, Donnie wants the big fights,? said ALA Promotions President Michael Aldeguer.
Nietes is 35-1-4 with 21 knockouts, while Rodriguez is 17-2-1 with 11 knockouts.
Undefeated prospect Mark Magsayo (10-0, 8 KOs) gets a big break when he faces his first Mexican opponent, Rafael Reyes (16-4, 12 KOs), for the vacant IBF Youth featherweight belt in the main supporting bout.
Ex-amateur standout Kevin Jake Cataraja makes his debut in the pro ranks against Indonesian Ardi Tefa (6-4, 4 KOs) in a six-round special attraction fight.
Also featured in the nine-bout fight card is an all-Mexican cruiserweight war between Jorge Kahwagi (11-0, 11 KOs) and Ramon Alejandro Olivas (13-3, 9 KOs).
In the undercard, Roli Gasca (22-6-1, 6 KOs) faces Indonesian veteran Rasmanudin (19-9-3, 10 KOs); Vic Saludar (9-1, 7 KOs) takes on Michael Kaibigan (3-2, 2 KOs); 19-year-old Elmo Traya (8-1, 6 KOs) fights Bryan Macamay (9-2-2, 5 KOs); undefeated 18-year-old Virgel Vitor (4-0, 2 KOs) faces 18-year-old Carlo Demecillo (3-2, 1 KO); and Raul Yu (6-1, 5 KOs) is up against Richard Sueno (2-0-1, 1 KO).
