New Year’s Eve will once again serve up a must-see fight in the Asian boxing market, as Donnie Nietes and Kazuto Ioka will battle it out for the vacant WBO junior bantamweight strap in Macau, China.
Ioka has long been a regular part of the New Year’s Eve tradition in Asian boxing but didn’t feature last year as part of his short retirement from the sport. He returned in September with a dominant win over McWilliams Arroyo and now has his eye on the veteran Nietes.
The 36-year-old hasn’t lost since 2004 and is looking to bounce back from his draw against Aston Palicte in September. That result denied him a title in a fourth different weight class, but he’ll have another chance against Ioka.
Per Box.live, the ringwalk is expected at 5 a.m. ET/10 a.m. GMT. Ring Magazine’s Ryan Songalia shared the fight details for the Philippines, with no information for the U.S. available:
Ryan Songalia ✔ @ryansongalia Broadcast details for the Donnie Nietes-Kazuto Ioka in Macau: Philippines: ABS- CBN Live through Sky Cable Pay Per View Slight Delay on Free TV Dec. 31 9pm to 10:30pm Replays at January 1 12pm to 1:30pm / 7:30pm to 9pm Only Nietes-Ioka will be shown No word yet for US
3 10:37 PM – Dec 18, 2018 ? Manhattan, NY Twitter Ads info and privacy See Ryan Songalia’s other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy Nietes (41-1-5, 23 KO) and Ioka (23-1, 13 KO) are expected to put on a show, as the latter tries to push himself among the elites of the lower weight classes after his short absence.
The longtime WBA flyweight champion has made the move up to junior bantamweight, and his next objective is to add a few big names to his resume. A win over Nietes could set up future dates with top fighters like Juan Francisco Estrada, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and perhaps even compatriot and bantamweight great Naoya Inoue.
Nietes also moved up this year in search of that elusive title in a fourth weight class, and at the age of 36, opportunities to win that belt and find a few more major paydays are starting to run out.
As shared by Rappler Sports, he has vowed to be more aggressive when he faces Ioka:
Rappler Sports ✔ @RapplerSports Donnie Nietes promises to deliver in a duel for the vacant Wofld Boxing Organziation super flyweight title. #Sports https://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/boxing-mma/219647-nietes-vows-be-more-aggressive-vs-ioka?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1545732653 ?
15 6:10 PM – Dec 25, 2018 Twitter Ads info and privacy
Nietes vows to be more aggressive versus Ioka Donnie Nietes promises to deliver in a duel for the vacant Wofld Boxing Organziation super flyweight title
rappler.com See Rappler Sports’s other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy In his last fight, he easily outlanded Palicte and most believed he was denied a clear win by the judges.
According to ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Palicte was denied an immediate rematch, “mainly” because everyone thought Nietes was robbed.
While Nietes is the slight betting favourite, this fight could go either way. Both are excellent technicians with almost identical knockout percentages, and while the younger Ioka has a slight advantage in size and reach, Nietes has plenty of experience and is unbeaten for well over a decade.
Ioka tends to leave himself open to big shots a little more, but he also usually improves drastically as the fight wears on. Nietes’ work rate is a little lower, but he often lands the bigger shots.
Picking a winner is nearly impossible. This should be a fantastic fight and a superb ending to what has been a great year of boxing.
