Longest reigning FiIipino world champion Donnie “Ahas” Nietes and Mexican Raul “Rayito” Garcia pose after their weigh-in for their WBO World Junior Flyweight championship in the Pinoy Pride 36: A Legend in the Making set Saturday at the Saint La Salle University Stadium in Bacolod City./CDN PHOTO/LITO M. TECSON
BACOLOD—Raul “Rayito” Garcia was present when Donnie “Ahas” Nietes beat his twin brother Ramon here in 2011.
The memory lingered and Raul is back to avenge his family’s and country’s honor.
The Mexican challenger is determined to make the longest reigning Filipino world champion pay his debts when they battle for the World Boxing Organization light flyweight crown Saturday night at University of St. La Salle Coliseum.
Garcia guaranteed he’ll knock Nietes out if the pride of Murcia, Negros Occidental, doesn’t run and chooses to slug it out in the 12-round headliner of Pinoy Pride 36: A Legend in the Making.
“If he (Nietes) stays in the middle of the ring and fights, I’m going to knock him out,” said Garcia, a former International Boxing Federation minimum weight champion, through an interpreter. “But if he runs, I’m also ready.”
Nietes shrugged off the Mexican’s bravado, saying that he’s going to put up a sterling performance before his province-mates, who last saw him in action against the other Garcia.
“I’ll use my patience and pounce on him when the opportunity arises,” Nietes said in Filipino.
Nietes (37-1-4, 21 knockouts) said he feels younger than his age (34) after undergoing a tight conditioning and training program.
The 33-year-old Garcia (36-3-1, 22 KOs), however, is no pushover and is on a five-bout winning streak.
Garcia, who bared that he’s been preparing for the grudge bout since January, is out to cut Nietes’ domination of Mexicans (14 at last count).
The protagonists easily made weight, both checking in at an exact 108 pounds during Friday’s official weigh-in at Robinsons Place Bacolod.