TINANGIHAN ni three-division world champion Donnie “Ahas” Nietes ang rematch sa kababayang si Aston Palicte at gustong harapin ang maaangas sa super flyweight division na sina dating world champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez ng Nicaragua at Mexican Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada.
“I want to face either (Roman) Gonzalez or (Juan Francisco) Estrada next. There’s no need for a rematch, I clearly won that fight,” sabi ng 36-anyos na si Nietes sa Philboxing.com.
Lamang sa puntos si Nietes laban sa bata at matangkad na si Palicte ngunit sa halip ideklarang nagwagi sa puntos ay naging split draw ang desisyon ng mga hurado sa laban para sa bakanteng World Boxing Organization (WBO) super flyweight belt noong nakaraang Setyembre 8 sa The Forum sa Inglewood, California sa United States.
“Everybody thought Donnie won. Despite the controversy, we are happy that everybody thought he won,” sabi ni ALA Promotions matchmaker Edito Villamor. “He was deprived of his legacy of becoming a four-division world champion. It will be delayed. It’s painful for our part but that’s boxing.”
Ayon kay Villamor, maramig personalidad sa boksing ang naniniwalang dapat nanalo si Nietes tulad nina Hall of Fame trainer Nacho Beristain, boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez at ang trainer ni dating middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin na si Abel Sanchez.
“Our game plan was to feel him out in the first three rounds when he’s still strong. But after that, I told Donnie to control the center of the ring,” dagdag ni Villamor.
Malaki ang paniniwala ni Nietes na sapat ang ginawa niya para talunin si Palicte at maging four-division world champion.
“If there was a little bit of time left, I felt that I would have knocked him out. The canvass was just so slippery that I had a difficulty in catching him,” dagdag ni Nietes. “We want the big names – Sor Rungvisai, Estrada, ‘Chocolatito’. I know these fights will come to Donnie, despite the draw. We don’t need a rematch.”
-Gilbert Espeña
