RECORDS are made to be broken.
So will it be for the longevity record of venerable boxing legend Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde.
Donnie ?Ahas? Nietes will soon grab the record of longest reigning Filipino world champion after his victory over Moises Fuentes in the light flyweight division. Nietes knocked out Fuentes in front of his cheering countrymen.
Nietes is chasing the record of Elorde who won the world super featherweight title on March 16, 1960 by knocking out defending world champion Harold Gomes in seven rounds in front of 30,000 screaming Filipinos at the Araneta Coliseum.
Elorde was able to defend the crown 10 times until June 15, 1967 when he lost a majority decision to Yoshiaki Numata of Japan. This made him the longest reigning world junior lightweight champion ever, ruling the division for seven years and three months.
After his victory over Fuentes, Nietes has been world champion for six years and eight months and will most certainly surpass Elorde?s record for longevity. There are differences of course.
Elorde was the sole world champion in his division. Nietes is champion of the World Boxing Organization at a time when the value of boxing world titles has become diluted because of so many international boxing associations with world titles. Others include World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, International Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Organization and International Boxing Association.
Additionally, Fuentes won his world title first as minimum weight champion before moving up to the light flyweight division.
Still there is no denying Nietes his legitimacy as world champion.
The first bout between Nietes and Fuentes last year ended in a draw. This time around Nietes didn?t leave anything for the judges to decide on and demolished Fuentes in the ninth round.
?It was one of Donnie?s vintage performances. On December 31 he will beat Elorde?s record. It is a defining moment for Donnie and Philippine boxing. Donnie could be one of the best ever,? ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer said in a published report.
The 31-year-old Nietes was virtually a different man when he fought Fuentes for the second time after their encounter in Cebu City last year. He was in better shape, more confident and displayed more power and stamina.
He credited his trainers Edito Ala Villamor and Edmund Villamor for preparing him for Fuentes. He said their hard work bore fruit with the smashing victory over Fuentes.
?Syempre masayang masaya ang pakiramdam ko. Nanalo ako dahil nakukuha talaga namin ang game plan namin ni coach (Of course I feel very happy. We won because we followed the game plan to beat him),? said Nietes.
Nietes was slippery as a snake as he continually slipped and dodged the punches of his younger rival. Fuentes missed constantly and paid dearly with the devastating counterpunches of Nietes.
The Filipino took command in the seventh round rocking Fuentes repeatedly. In the eighth round Fuentes was being hit almost at will. In the ninth round Fuentes finally dropped to the canvas after being hit with a left hook. Unable to stop himself Nietes then hit Fuentes who was already on the ground. Nietes was deducted a point.
Fuentes stood up and managed to beat the count. Nietes pursued the wobbly Fuentes and dropped him again with a right hook. Referee Robert Byrd had seen enough and stopped the fight in 2:56 of the ninth.
?I?m happy that I knocked him out and showed everybody that I?m the better fighter. All the Filipinos are my strength and inspiration for this win,? said Nietes in the same published report.
Nietes improved his record to 33-1-4 with 18 knockouts. Fuentes, the interim WBO light flyweight champion, was knocked out for the first time in his career and dropped to 19-2-1 with 10 knockouts.
The Filipino said he was not at all surprised with his knockout victory because of all of his hard work in preparation for the fight.
?Hindi naman ako nagulat. Simula pa lang naramdaman ko talaga na ma itutumba ko siya. Conditioning and traing namin. At saka maganda ang follow up ko kapag natatamaan ko siya (I was not surprised. From the start I could feel that I could knock him down. We trained to improve my stamina. Also I followed up well whenever I hit him),? said Nietes.
Nietes said he will have one or two more defenses in his weight class this year. Then he plans to move up in weight to chase a third division world crown.
Possible opponents include Roman Gonzalez or Juan Francisco Estrada.
Nietes started his career as a professional boxer in 2003 at the age of 20. He strung together victories until he won his first championship, the Philippines Boxing Federation (PBF) light flyweight title against Joseph Villasis via first-round technical knockout.
Nietes first became a world champion on September 30, 2007. He fought then undefeated Pornsawarn Kratingdaenggym of Thailand for the vacant WBO Minimumweight World Title at Waterfront-Cebu City Hotel, Cebu City, Philippines.
Nietes floored Kratingdaenggym in the fourth round and dominated the bout which ended in a unanimous decision for Nietes.
Elorde on the other hand had a more celebrated career. He became the country?s first world champion 20 years after Ceferino Garcia lost the middle championship to American Ken Overlin on points, May 23, 1940 at the Madison Square Garden.
Elorde, a left-hander, knocked down Gomes in the second round with a right hook to the head. The 25-year-old Gomes was knocked down again in the third and in the fifth. The American champion regrouped in the sixth round. But early in the seventh round Elorde caught Gomes with a right to the head and a left to the jaw which sent him down to the canvas again.
Gomes managed to stand up but was again floored after getting hit by combinations by Elorde. Referee Barney Ross then counted him out as 30,000 Filipinos erupted in wild celebration at the Araneta Coliseum.
Elorde held the title for a record number of years and remain today the most beloved Filipino boxer after Manny Pacquiao.
