Nietes sure of dethroning Garcia

BACOLOD CITY—What he has achieved abroad, he says he can do better in his homeland.

Donnie “Ahas” Nietes yesterday gave a 100-percent guarantee he would beat Ramon Hirales Garcia tonight and snare the Mexican’s World Boxing Organization light flyweight crown at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum here.

Having seen and studied tapes of Garcia’s recent fights, Nietes said he detected flaws that he could exploit in a bid to nail his second world crown in the first-ever world championship bout in this City of Smiles.

“He (Garcia) always goes to the side of the body with his left hook,” Nietes told Manila-based sportswriters in Filipino after the official weigh-in at the SM Bacolod City Activity Center. “When he does that, it will leave him open for my uppercut or overhand hook.”

Nietes, who relinquished his minimum weight crown after a three-year reign to campaign in the 108-pound division, also said that Garcia (16-2-1, 9 KOs) isn’t really that strong.

The Filipino’s title reign included three successful defenses against Mexicans in Mexico.

“If I can win in their place, much more here in my turf,” said Nietes, who hails in nearby Murcia town and grew up in Barangay Granada here. “There’s no pressure because losing never crossed my mind. There’s a good chance I would knock him out.”

The lone blotch on Nietes’ sterling 28-1-3 (16 KOs) record came in 2004, when he lost by split decision to an Indonesian foe.

Reaping the benefits of four months’ training, including over 120 rounds of sparring, Nietes came in at an exact 108 pounds yesterday.

Garcia, who spent the last two weeks of his training camp in Cebu City, tipped the scales 1 lb over at 109 on his first try.

After jogging around the sprawling shopping complex, Garcia barely made the limit.

Speaking through an interpreter, Garcia said he is confident of winning because he had trained hard. He refused, however, to predict a stoppage in the main event of Pinoy Pride IX, an undertaking of ALA Promotions in collaboration with ABS-CBN Sports.

In the chief support, AJ “Bazooka” Banal will try to make up for two lackluster performances when he dangles his WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title against unbeaten Mexican Mario Briones, the reigning World Boxing Council super bantamweight titlist.

The fight card is the ninth edition of the Pinoy Pride series, a brainchild of ALA Promotions president and CEO Michael Aldeguer.

Nietes sure of dethroning Garcia

By Roy Luarca

BACOLOD CITY—What he has achieved abroad, he says he can do better in his homeland.

Donnie “Ahas” Nietes yesterday gave a 100-percent guarantee he would beat Ramon Hirales Garcia tonight and snare the Mexican’s World Boxing Organization light flyweight crown at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum here.

Having seen and studied tapes of Garcia’s recent fights, Nietes said he detected flaws that he could exploit in a bid to nail his second world crown in the first-ever world championship bout in this City of Smiles.

“He (Garcia) always goes to the side of the body with his left hook,” Nietes told Manila-based sportswriters in Filipino after the official weigh-in at the SM Bacolod City Activity Center. “When he does that, it will leave him open for my uppercut or overhand hook.”

Nietes, who relinquished his minimum weight crown after a three-year reign to campaign in the 108-pound division, also said that Garcia (16-2-1, 9 KOs) isn’t really that strong.

The Filipino’s title reign included three successful defenses against Mexicans in Mexico.

“If I can win in their place, much more here in my turf,” said Nietes, who hails in nearby Murcia town and grew up in Barangay Granada here. “There’s no pressure because losing never crossed my mind. There’s a good chance I would knock him out.”

The lone blotch on Nietes’ sterling 28-1-3 (16 KOs) record came in 2004, when he lost by split decision to an Indonesian foe.

Reaping the benefits of four months’ training, including over 120 rounds of sparring, Nietes came in at an exact 108 pounds yesterday.

Garcia, who spent the last two weeks of his training camp in Cebu City, tipped the scales 1 lb over at 109 on his first try.

After jogging around the sprawling shopping complex, Garcia barely made the limit.

Speaking through an interpreter, Garcia said he is confident of winning because he had trained hard. He refused, however, to predict a stoppage in the main event of Pinoy Pride IX, an undertaking of ALA Promotions in collaboration with ABS-CBN Sports.

In the chief support, AJ “Bazooka” Banal will try to make up for two lackluster performances when he dangles his WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title against unbeaten Mexican Mario Briones, the reigning World Boxing Council super bantamweight titlist.

The fight card is the ninth edition of the Pinoy Pride series, a brainchild of ALA Promotions president and CEO Michael Aldeguer.