CEBU, Philippines ? The long road up ahead for Filipino world boxing champion Donnie Nietes is littered with landmines.
That?s where the challenge is, and Nietes, the WBO light-flyweight champion since 2011, is ready to face it.
?It has always been the plan. He wants to become a three-division world champion,? said Michael Aldeguer, president and CEO of ALA Promotions.
Nietes once held the WBO minimumweight title, too, and now he?s looking at moving up to the flyweight class and win the title.
?There are no more big names at 108 (pounds).
Now he wants to fight the big names at 112. Moving up has always been his goal,? Aldeguer said. Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
But Nietes, who defeated Mexico?s Francisco Rodriguez the other night at the Waterfront Hotel here, is not jumping into the water.
?We have to reassess because he may be too small for 112. He has to be comfortable. Then we need to assess his hand if it?s fine,? said the youthful promoter.
Nietes had fought and defeated the big guns at 108, including Ramon Garcia Hirales, Moises Fuentes and now Rodriguez.
In the flyweight class, he will be looking at bigger and better ones like Roman Gonzalez, Juan Francisco Estrada, Amnat Ruenroeng, Giovani Segura or even Brian Viloria.
?He will fight the big names, and Estrada is one of them. We?ve been talking about Segura, too, then maybe Gonzalez in the future,? said Aldeguer.
?We have to make a decision but definitely we?re looking at the bigger weight next year. We?ll see if he?s ready to move up,? the promoter added.
Part of the plan is for Nietes to defend his light-flyweight title once more in Bacolod, where he comes from. It?s been a while, four years, since he last fought at home.
That fight may happen in November, and then he can do a tuneup fight at 110 pounds to see if he?s ready to jump to 112.
?He can fight a non-title fight at 110 just to see. But he said he wants to defend his title once more in Bacolod. They want to watch him. He?s a legend now. It?ll be like a homecoming,? Aldeguer said.
Then it doesn?t stop there because ALA Promotions also wants the world to know Nietes better.
Nietes, now 36-1-4, had been seen in Mexico thrice, but Aldeguer said they?re looking at more fights overseas like Macau and the United States, particularly Los Angeles.
?We have to assess everything then we?ll see,? said Aldeguer.
?I?m ready,? Nietes said.
