No question, the longest-reigning Filipino world champion in history, Donnie Nietes, is ready for the big names at flyweight division.
On Saturday evening, the former two-division world champion showed a masterful performance to easily outpoint former world light-flyweight kingpin Edgar Sosa of Mexico in 12 rounds in the main event of the Pinoy Pride 3 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
It was Nietes’ debut fight in the 112-pound division after holding on to world titles in the minimumweight (104 lbs) and light-flyweight (108 lbs) divisions for over eight years.
Against Sosa, Nietes looked comfortable in his new weight class after weighing in at 112 pounds on the eve of the fight.
In victory, Nietes acquired the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Intercontinental flyweight title belt at 112 pounds and made a statement to the division that he’s a force to be reckoned with at, despite having just moved up in weight.
So if Sosa posed as a serious test for Nietes in his new weight class, then the latter passed it with flying colors.
In fact, so one-sided was the bout that all three judges – Max DeLuca, Alejandro Rochin and Pat Russell – scored it a shutout for Nietes, 120-108. Interestingly, none of the judges was Filipino.
Were the judges too generous to Nietes? If you think about it, maybe. In fact, Nietes was in full control even though he really didn’t come close to knocking his opponent out. And Sosa? The former World Boxing Council (WBC) lightflyweight champion seemed to have no answer for the Filipino’s offense throughout the fight8.
The 34-year-old Nietes, who has scored 22 knockouts in posting a 39-1-4 record, used his jab to keep his distance from Sosa while repeatedly scoring through his right straight and 1-2 combinations that wobbled the Mexican boxer at numerous points in the bout.
The victory re-established Nietes’ position as the WBO No. 1 contender. Right now, the WBO flyweight throne is vacant.
No. 2 contender and two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming of China and No. 3 contender Kwanpichit Onesongchai Gym of Thailand will figure in a grudge rematch in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas mainer in Las Vegas on Nov. 5.
The winner of the Zou-Kwanpichit eliminator will face Nietes for the vacant WBO title.
Last month, Nietes vacated his WBO light flyweight title so he could move up in weight and seek the bigger fights against world champions like Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico.
But Estrada had other things in mind as he moved up to 115 pounds, himself in search of the more lucrative fight with Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez of Nicaragua.
Nietes said Estrada and Gonzalez will remain in his radar as he tries to settle down in his new fighting class, where he hopes to win the world title.
If those two lucrative fights won’t materialize, Nietes would most likely end up fighting either Shiming or Kwanpichit next.
Nietes has already rewritten the record books when he became the longest reigning Filipino world titleholder in history surpassing the legendary Flash Elorde’s previous record of seven years and three months. Nietes held the WBO 105-pound title from September 2007 to March 2011, then stepped up to 108-pounds where he has held the WBO junior flyweight belt since then.
If he is successful at 112 pounds, Nietes will become a three-division world champion.