WBO champion Nietes vows to knockout Mexican foe in Pinoy Pride XXIII

WBO Light Flyweight champion Donnie “Ahas” Nietes (31-1-4,17KOs) vows to knock out former world champion Sammy “Gutty” Gutierrez (33-9-2, 23KOs) when they tangle in one of two world title fights on Oct. 30 in the “Pinoy Pride XXIII: Filipinos Kontra Latinos” card at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila.

The 31-year-old Nietes last fought on March 2 against WBO minimum weight champion Moises Fuentes here in Cebu which ended in a draw.

Eight months after his last fight, Nietes said he is very hungry and very excited to climb the ring once again. “It was a very long rest but I never stopped training,” Nietes told Cebu Daily News.

According to him, Gutierrez’s style perfectly suits his. He said he will be very cautious when mixing it up with the former WBA interim minimum weight champion but vowed to knock the latter out.

“Because of the great training I had for this fight, I can say that I am very confident of knocking him out in any round. It just depends on the timing. When it comes to my strength and conditioning, I think they have improved a lot.”

LONGEST TRAINING CAMP

Meanwhile, veteran trainer, Edito Villamor, said he just completed the longest training camp in his career as a boxing trainer after he trained and polished the skills of five of the country’s brightest ring warriors.

“I must admit that is was not an easy camp because we need to adjust to each boxer’s style and study each of their opponent’s styles that’s why we had three months of training. Now I can say that they are ready to fight,” said Villamor.

Villamor and his staff trained Nietes, WBO minimumweight champion Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo (23-0,12KOs), WBO international flyweight champion Milan “El Metodico” Melindo (29-1,12KOs), AJ “Bazooka” Banal (29-2-1,21KOs) and WBO International Light welterweight champion Jason “El Niño” Pagara (31-2,19KOs) for three months in the ALA Boxing Gym in Talamban with the help of his brother Edmund Villamor and strength and conditioning coach and nutritionist Abet Biagan.

Melindo will face Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (29-2,18KOs) of Mexico for the vacant WBO international flyweight title; Banal will battle Puerto Rican Lucian Gonzales (15-7-2, 4KOs) while Pagara will go up against Vladimir Baez (19-1-2,17KOs) of the Dominican Republic.

Sabillo will defend his WBO minimumweight title for the second time against unbeaten Nicaraguan Carlos Buitrago (27-0,16KOs).

Villamor and the four ALA Boxing Gym stalwarts will leave for Manila today and continue their light training there. /Correspondent dale G. Rosal