Nietes keeps WBO title, dominates Rodriguez

Donnie Nietes

CEBU CITY, Philippines—Filipino Donnie “Ahas” Nietes defused the challenge of Mexican Francisco Rodriguez with effective counter-punching on Saturday night to keep his World Boxing Organization junior flyweight title at the packed Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

Nietes, who thwarted the Mexican’s attacks with accurate punches from the opening bell, won on the three judges’ scorecards, 115-113, 119-109 and 118-110.

Though Nietes’ strength seemed to fade in the 11th round as Rodriguez plodded on, he went into cruise control as the crowd chanted his name.

Invigorated, Nietes bloodied Rodriguez’s nose early in the 12th and final round and was a clear winner even before the verdict was announced.

The 33-year-old Nietes thus preserved his legacy as the longest reigning Filipino world champion, making his seventh straight title defense of the 108-pound belt and preserving his unbeaten run since 2004, climbing to 36 wins, 1-loss, 4-draws with 21 knockouts.

Rodriguez, who turned 22 Friday, fell to 17-3-1 with 11 Kos.

Nietes said he hurt his hands in the seventh and eight rounds as he landed blows on the Mexican’s head, but persevered so as not to disappoint his countrymen.

The action-packed supporting bout saw Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo stretch his win streak to 11 with a fifth round stoppage of game Mexican Rafael Reyes and crown himself the International Boxing Federation Youth featherweight champion.

A rapid-fire left-right combination to the head staggered Reyes and as the Mexican desperately waded forward, Magsayo nailed him with a left cross that put him down for the second and last time at the 2:29 mark of the fifth round.

Referee Ber Abainza waived off the 10-round lopsided bout that gave the 20-year-old Magsayo, a prime prospect of the ALA boxing stable, his ninth KO.

In the third round, Magsayo caught Reyes with a borderline left, as shown later in the slo-mo replay, and as the Mexican complained to Abainza, Magsayo sneaked in another left and a right straight to the midsection for a knockdown in the third round.

Reyes fell to 16-5 with 12 knockouts.

In a special attraction, Kevin Jake Cataraja made an auspicious professional debut, knocking out Indonesian Ardi Tefa in the sixth and final round of their featherweight encounter.

Cataraja, a 14-time gold medalist in regional and national competitions and a two-time best boxer of the Private Schools Athletic Association, took the air out of Tefa, who fell to 6-5, with a left to the body.

Tefa, rocked by combinations to the head in the fifth round, crumbled to his knees and was counted out with 41 seconds to go, sending the crowd in jubilation for their local prospect, a criminology student from Barangay Talamban.

The highly successful fight card, graced by World Boxing Organization president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel, was a joint undertaking of ALA Promotions, headed by Michael Aldeguer, and ABS-CBN Sports. With a report from Marc Giongco, INQUIRER.net/TVJ

Originally posted: 12:09 AM July 12th, 2015