Tiyak nang malalagpasan ni Donnie “Ahas” Nietes ang rekord ni dating undisputed world junior lightweight champion Gabriel “Flash” Elorde na nagkampeon sa loob ng pitong taon at tatlong buwan matapos na matagumpay niyang maidepensa sa huling pagkakataon ang kanyang WBO junior flyweight belt sa 7th round TKO laban kay Mexican Carlos Velarde sa Waterfront Hotel & Casino sa Cebu City kamakalawa ng gabi.
Kaagad itinaas ni Hall of fame referee Robert Byrd ng United States ang kamay ni Nietes matapos sumuko sa 8th round si Velarde kaya tiyak nang mahihigitan niya ang Philippine record ni Elorde sa eksaktong alas-12:01 sa Enero 1, 2015.
“Nietes dominated Velarde with accurate head shots and uppercuts the whole night and was comfortably ahead in all the judges scorecards after the 7th round,” ayon sa ulat ng Philboxing.com. “Rose Lascend of the United States has it 68-65; Masakazu Murasi of Japan, 70-63 and Salven Lagumbay of the Philippines, 70-63.”
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Sa kanyang susunod na laban ay inaasahang hahamunin ni Nietes ang mga kampeon sa flyweight division ng WBC, WBA, IBF at WBO para maging three-division world champion.
Tiyak namang kakasa sa world title bout si one-time world title challenger Milan Melindo nang manalo sa 10-round unanimous decision laban kay Saul Juarez ng Mexico sa kanilang IBF light flyweight title eliminator.
Napanatili rin ni ‘Prince’ Albert Pagara ang kanyang IBF Inter-Continental super bantamweight title matapos magwagi sa 12-round unanimous decision laban kay dating WBO minimumweight titlist Raul Hirales ng Mexico.
“Pagara sent Hirales to the canvas in the third round en route to a dominating scores of 120-107, 120-107 and 119-108,” ayon sa ulat.
Si Pagara ay inaasahang maikakasa na sa world title bout sa susunod na taon.
Nanalo rin si two-time world title challenger AJ Banal sa 10-round unanimous decision laban kay Maxsaisai Sithsaithong ng Thailand at nanaig si Mark Magsayo via 2nd round TKO laban kay Moon-San Jung ng South Korea.
Ang tanging nabigo sa mga Pilipino ay si dating world champion Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo na na-upset sa 4th round TKO ni Faris Nenggo ng Indonesia.
Tumabla naman si Jomar Fajardo kay WBO at IBF world champion Francisco Rodriguez ng Mexico kaya tiyak na papasok siya sa susunod na world rankings.
”Rodriguez was brought into deep waters by late substitute and heavy underdog Jomar Fajardo of the Philippines,” dagdag sa ulat. “Rodriguez was hitting Fajardo with volume punches in the early rounds when a looping right apparently broke Rodriguez’s nose in the 3rd round that bled throughout the fight. The fight ended in a split draw with scores 98-92, 95-95 and 94-96.”
