STABLEMATES Donnie Nietes and Jonas Sultan will leave for the US today to prepare for their historic title clashes against fellow Filipinos. The two boxers, with their trainer Edmund Villamor, will be training in the Wild Card gym owned by Freddie Roach.
Sultan, who is 14-3 with 9 KOs, will try to wrest the title of compatriot and International Boxing Federation super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas, who is 27-1-1 with 19KOs on May 27 (PH time) in Fresno, California.
This will be the first time in nine decades that two Filipinos will fight for a world title. The last time this happened was on May 2, 1925, when Pancho Villa defended his flyweight title against Clever Sencio.
Nietes (41-1-4, 23 KOs), the longest-reigning Filipino world champion, will also take on compatriot Aston Palicte (24-2, 20KOs) for the vacant World boxing Organization super flyweight title.
WBO earlier mandated the Nietes vs. Palicte fight for the vacant title, giving Pinoys a second all-Filipino world championship fight.
?Wala pa ta kahibalo kon kanus-a ug asa ni duwaon pero mas maayong magpreparar na?g sugod si Donnie (We don?t know when this will be, but it?s best for Donnie to start preparing),? said Edito.
Nietes, who will be going for a world title in a fourth weight division, admitted that Palicte is bigger than him but said he isn?t worried.
?Taas siya pero boxing man ang duwa, dili man basketball. Padaghanay ni sa mga kumo (He?s tall, but this is boxing, not basketball. It?s a question of who gets to throw the most punches),? said the 35-year-old Nietes, who has held a world title for 11 years.
Sultan is also confident that he can wrest the crown from Ancajas despite the odds.
?Kon sa style, daghan man sab ko?g style. Kon sa kusogay, naa man sab ko?y ikabuga. Bisa?g unsa ang gusto nilang away, mo-adjust ra ko (I have plenty of tactics and strength. No matter how they fight, I can adjust),? said Sultan.
Nietes said he will also be sparring with Sultan to prepare for his fight. He said he used to spar with Jonas a lot, but now the latter has to prepare for a lefty opponent. (ESL)
