With ‘Chocolatito’ deposed, Nietes wants to unify at flyweight

MANILA, Philippines – Donnie Nietes wasn’t in gloves and shorts, but in suit and tie at the Manila Hotel on Saturday, March 25, to accept the “Award of Distinction” at the 17th Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Boxing Awards and Banquet of Champions.

With Manny Pacquiao, who was slated to receive the same award, a no-show, Nietes stood alone in being commemorated for his years as a world champion in the strawweight and junior flyweight divisions. 

The Negros Occidental native can stand forever with Pacquiao, and Nonito Donaire Jr, if he joins them as the only 3-division champions from the Philippines when he faces Komgrich Nantapech on April 29 at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City for the vacant IBF flyweight title.

Though Nietes (39-1-4, 22 knockouts) is the more accomplished fighter, he didn’t get to where he is now by looking past his opponents.

“My colleague, Albert Pagara, said that his moves are very different now, so he has had quite a big improvement because he has also seen his recent fights, he says that my opponent has undergone a big change,” said Nietes, referring to Nantapech’s second round knockout defeat to Pagara in 2012, a fight that happened in Southern Leyte.

Komgrich (who is also known as Eaktwan BTU Ruaviking) has not traveled well in his career, having a record of 22-3 (15 KOs) but is just 1-3 outside of his home country of Thailand. Nietes is back at the ALA Gym in Cebu to complete his camp, and says he’s just 120 pounds with over a month to go before stepping.

“As of now, we are really ready for our coming fight. I have been training since January, and now we are already starting the hard training. My last sparring was 8 rounds, so next week it will become 10 rounds, then the following week we will get 12 rounds,” said Nietes.

Nietes also has his eye on other fighters around his weight, particularly Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, the 4-division champion from Nicaragua who sustained his first loss in his 47th fight earlier this month, a majority decision to Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai at Madison Square Garden.

The loss, though disputed by many, reverberated through the lower divisions as fighters realized they’d lost out on the sweepstakes to hand the now deposed pound-for-pound king his first defeat.

“I think maybe [Gonzalez] did not train enough, that is why he had that kind of performance,” hypothesized Nietes. “And also, maybe the death of one of his coaches [Arnulfo Obando last November] affected his training, maybe it changed his gam eplan and it immediately took out a lot from Chocolatito’s style.”

Nietes says he still wouldn’t mind fighting Gonzalez, the only fighter from the lower weight divisions who has gotten the attention from major TV networks in recent years. After the exodus of Gonzalez and former WBA/WBO flyweight titleholder Juan Francisco Estrada 3 pounds north to 115, there aren’t many names left at flyweight that’d get people excited about unification.

There’s WBA flyweight titleholder Kazuto Ioka from Japan, the best of the current bunch who has followed a similar path as Nietes, winning titles from 105 up to 112. Then there’s Juan Hernandez, the young Mexican who won the vacant WBC title earlier this month, mixing movement and counterpunching to knock out Nawaphon Kaikanha in exciting fashion in Thailand. 

Rounding out the titleholders is WBO claimant Zou Shiming, the two-time Olympic gold medalist from China whom Nietes was angling for a mandatory shot at before the vacant IBF title became available.

Nietes will try to make do with what is available at 112 pounds.

“Sa mga champions sa (To the champions in) flyweight like WBA, WBC, and WBO, and I want to fight all,” said Nietes. – Rappler.com