BACOLOD CITY?Donnie ?Ahas? Nietes earned a world title shot in his new weight division after an impressive first round destruction of Mexican Armando Vasquez in Pinoy Pride 5 last night in front of a supportive hometown crowd at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum.
Nietes (28-1-3, 16 KOs), the World Boxing Organization mini-flyweight champion, quickly sent Vasquez (18-6, 4 KOs) to dreamland in 2:26 of the first round with a crushing overhand right to the head. The fight was waived off by referee Bruce McTavish after the 24-year-old Mexican was slumped near his corner.
?Nietes was working hard with his power,?ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer said after the fight. ?We expected him to be stronger at 108 and he showed it tonight.?
Nietes will be facing the winner of the April 30 fight between interim WBO light flyweight Jesus Geles and Ramon Garcia in Mexico. Aldeguer said the fight will be held sometime in late July or early August and the frontrunner on where the fight will be held is Bacolod City.
In the undercard, Jason Pagara (26-1, 15 KOs) retained his WBO Asia-Pacific youth light welterweight title with a second-round knockout over Tanzanian Deo Njiku (11-5, 9 KOs).
At first, the 19-year-old Pagara couldn?t find his range against the speedy African, who landed a couple of punches in the initial round. However, Pagara found his mark in the middle of the round with a right straight. He sent him back to the mat with a left hook in the same round. Pagara?s lethal left hook ended the night of Njiku in the second.
Lorenzo Villanueva (20-0, 19 KOs) kept his WBO Oriental featherweight crown and his unbeaten slate as he knocked out Indonesian James Mokoginta (15-5-1, 4 KOs) in the 2:14 mark of the fifth round with a combination to the head and body.
The aggressive Villanueva immediately made his presence felt by sending Mokoginta to the canvas with right and left hook combination. Villanueva continued to punish Mokoginta in the next two rounds. However, Mokoginta gained momentum in the fourth and landed some clean shots to the head of Villanueva before being counted out by referee Danrex Tapdasan in the following round.
Pan Asian Boxing Association champ Roli Gasca (16-1, 3 KOs) demolished Thai Ngaotawan Sithsaithong (8-6-1, 4 KOs) in the 2:17 mark of the third with a vicious left to the head that looked like a variation between an uppercut and a hook. Gasca, 21, dropped Sithsaithong twice in the second and once in the third before finishing him off.
Hometown boxer Arthur Villanueva (16-0, 11 KOs) beat fellow prospect Mark Anthony (19-3-3, 10 KOs) Geraldo after the fight was halted in the sixth round due to an accidental head butt.
The 22-year-old Bacolod City native was given the majority technical decision with scores of 58-56, 57-57 and 58-56.
Albert Pagara (3-0, 2 KOs) defeated Robert Awetin (3-4-1, 2 KOs) by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout, 59-55, 59-55, and, 60-54.
Roma Rate (4-0, 3 KOs) scored a first round stoppage over Crispin Salvador (0-2), while fellow stable mate Boyce Sultan (3-0, 2 KOs) also destroyed Jeno Reymonda (0-1) in the first.
Reymond Tabogon (1-0, 1 KO) knocked out Tongkie Balalitan (1-2) in the third round.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 10, 2011.
