Donnie Nietes did not have to get rid of the pet python that had crawled with his lusterless world boxing crown through the years.
The WBO 108-pound ruler instead imported a man-size sting of a knockout to turn his career around.
Correction: It was actually Tony Aldeguer, premier Cebu sportsman, who brought in the knockout wonder all the way from the United States.
“The changes came after we connected with our new conditioning coach, Nick Curson,” explained Aldeguer, fondly known as ALA, in a text message the morning after Nietes scored a sizzling ninth-round stoppage at Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena to retain his crown.
His victim was Moises Fuentes, mandatory challenger from Mexico, against whom Nietes had a droopy majority draw in Cebu last year.
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Aldeguer was a lot more exultant than the 31-year-old KO winner.
For the record, Aldeguer had absorbed telling blows in previous Pinoy Pride presentations that saw his major warriors, like AJ Banal and Milan Melindo, suffer tragic losses.
The most stinging of these failures was the recent fall of Merlito Sabillo, sensational former street fighter from Bacolod, who got stopped in a Mexico title defense.
“This was most frustrating, I was shattered, we’d done everything to ensure victory,” Aldeguer told one newsman who tried to condole with him.
“There are times like this when I feel like quitting the boxing scene for good, but I just happen to love the sport,” Aldeguer explained.
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Anyway, with practically all his ranked fighters relegated to the junkyard, Aldeguer refused to sulk and lick his wounds.
He got off the ropes, so to say, and turned to the corner.
He proceeded to quietly engineer the repair and resurgence of Nietes, generally perceived to be veering toward retirement with a series of feeble, unsteady wins by decision.
As traced by ALA, trainer Curson first worked with Nietes for a full month in the US.
Then they brought Curson to Cebu to continue training for another month.
“He did wonders to Nietes,” Aldeguer exclaimed.
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Sir Tony, revered patriarch of the Aldeguer clan in Cebu, would neither confirm nor deny whether he finally got tired of the dumb results being submitted by his local training staff.
But what came out of his ultimate decision to seek foreign help (in training) was a most startling result for Philippine boxing that still relies heavily on less-than-competent teachers and a wacky system.
Almost in a snap, the inborn talent and skills of Nietes, rendered dormant through the years, resurfaced.
The result was a polished warrior, blessed with great poise, power and sharpness.
Suddenly gone was the petty puncher of old who had the sloppy habit of pushing, instead of spearing, his shots.
As for ALA, he could get a bonus if wonder worker Nick Curson could also restore and reform faded stars, starting with “Boom Boom” Bautista, whom Aldeguer had reluctantly pluck from retirement.
Or is that still possible?