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MANILA, Philippines – Donnie Nietes will make the first defense of his IBF flyweight title on February 24 when he meets mandatory challenger Juan Carlos Reveco at The Forum in Los Angeles, his promoter Michael Aldeguer said.
“Yes, it’s confirmed,” the ALA Promotions president said in a text message, adding that Nietes-Reveco will open the HBO “Boxing After Dark” tripleheader titled “Superfly 2”.
“The ultimate goal for Nietes was to fight on huge events in the US after he broke the record [for longest consecutive time as a world champion] of Flash Elorde and now that he is a 3-division world champion makes it even more special but we all know it would be a tough fight against Reveco.”
The exposure will be the biggest to date for Nietes (40-1-4, 22 knockouts) of Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines, who is in his third title reign after holding titles at strawweight and junior flyweight. Despite multiple title reigns since 2007, the 35-year-old Nietes has been a relatively low-key sports figure, fighting primarily in his home country away from international audiences.
“Fighting in Los Angeles for the third time in front of the great Filipino fans along with fighting on HBO is a great honor for me,” Nietes was quoted in a press release from 360 Boxing Promotions, the show’s lead promoter. “I know how tough Reveco is but I’ll be well prepared to defend my title on Saturday, February 24.”
Nietes will leave Saturday, January 20 with trainers Edito and Edmundo Villamor to finish preparations in Los Angeles at the Wild Card Gym, and in Redondo Beach for conditioning work.
The 34-year-old Reveco (39-3, 19 KOs) of Las Heras, Argentina is a two-time WBA flyweight titleholder and became the number one contender in September by handily defeating Komgrich Nantapech, whom Nietes outpointed earlier last year for the vacant belt.
The card will also feature Filipino-American Brian Viloria challenging Artem Dalakian for the vacant WBA flyweight in an off-TV bout. The broadcast will also feature Carlos Cuadras vs McWilliams Arroyo, and will be headlined by the Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs Juan Francisco Estrada WBC junior bantamweight title fight. – Rappler.com
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