IT?S going to be only big fights for Donnie Nietes from here on.
Following an impressive seventh round knockout of Juan Carlos Reveco last weekend, Nietes eyes to move up to the stacked super flyweight division and face some of the stars that reside there.
?I believe it?s better for me to move up in weight. I think there are no more big names at flyweight. All of them have moved up to super flyweight. It has always been my dream to face huge names like (Juan Francisco) Estrada and Chocolatito (Roman Gonzalez). The weight will be no problem,? Nietes, who just arrived from the US, said yesterday at the St. Mark Hotel.
Some of the other elite names that are currently super flyweights aside from Estrada and Gonzalez are World Boxing Council (WBC) super flyweight king Sriksaket Sor Rungvisai, International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas, McWilliams Arroyo, Carlos Cuadras, Khalid Yafai and Rau?shee Warren.
After his win over Reveco, Nietes was closely watching Sor Runvisai?s title defense later that night in the main event of ?Superfly 2? at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
?I have something that makes me believe that I can beat him,? said Nietes of Sor Rungvisai, who owns back-to-back wins over Gonzalez. ?He just relies on his power but he has no speed. I?m more technical than him.? After just three fights at 112 pounds, Nietes has proven that he?s one of the division?s best. It could be a different story at 115 pounds.
?It depends on Donnie?s body. We will observe it in training and see if he can be a legitimate super flyweight,? said ALA Gym head coach Edito Villamor.
Nietes, the IBF flyweight champion, still has a few options at his current weight division. He can have an interesting unification bout with hard-hitting WBC champion Daigo Higa, or an easier unification fight with WBO titleholder Sho Kimura.
?It all depends on Donnie?s choice and where he?s comfortable at,? said Nietes? head coach Edmund Villamor.
Whether it will be a move up to super flyweight or unifying titles at flyweight, one thing?s for sure, the 35-year-old Nietes is far from calling it a career. (EKA)
