Starting the year right

Donnie Nietes of Philippines (C) celebrates his victory over Kazuto Ioka of Japan during their WBO super flyweight championship boxing bout in Macau on December 31, 2018. AFP

Donnie Nietes is finally ready for the big stage.

Immediately after scoring a split decision victory over Japanese fighter Kazuto Ioka on Monday, New Year’s Eve, for his fourth weight division title, the 36-year-old Filipino called out the top dogs of the junior bantamweight class.

After lording it over in the minor league, Nietes is hoping to tangle with the likes of Sirisaket Sor Rungvisai, Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez, all A-listers in lower weight divisions and who command big-money fights.

But first, the new World Boxing Organization (WBO) super flyweight boss has to consider weapons in his arsenal.
At 42-1-5 with 23 knockouts, Nietes is not considered a made-for-TV boxer because of his plain, highly technical style.

Rungvisai, the Thai two-time WBC super flyweight champ (47-4-1 with 41 KOs), is a highly entertaining fighter and is the lineal champ in the division, having defeated top guy Estrada in February 2018 in California.

The Mexican Estrada (38-3 with 26 KOs) is former unified flyweight champion and is also a marquee boxer because of his flashy style. Among his Filipino victims are Brian Viloria and Milan Melindo.

Gonzalez is another big fish with a record of 47-2 with 39 stoppages. The Nicaraguan, known for his ferocious style, is the first boxer to win world titles in all four of the lowest weight classes—minimumweight, light flyweight, flyweight and super flyweight.

Strangely, Nietes didn’t holler the name of compatriot Jerwin Ancajas (30-1-2 with 20 KOs).

Both Nietes and Ancajas faced fellow Filipinos in 2018, with the former drawing Aston Palicte last September in California, and the latter decisioning Jonas Sultan last May, also in the United States.