Friday, March 07, 2008 WBO names neutral officials for Nietes fight
IT WILL be all neutral officials for the Dubai card on April 18 in the first mandatory title defense of World Boxing Organization minimum weight champion Donnie “Ahas” Nietes against challenger Daniel “El Olimpico” Reyes.
ALA Promotions was informed this week that all of the officials for the Nietes-Reyes card will be from Europe and Africa.
The officials lined up by WBO are supervisor Arthur Ellisohn of Germany, referee Andre Van Grootenbreul of Belgium and the judges are Noel Monnet of France, Andrew Smale of South Africa and Paul Thomas of UK.
Decision
Nietes acquired the vacant WBO minimum weight belt last year against then undefeated Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym of Thailand in a 12-round unanimous decision victory at the Water Front Hotel and Casino in Cebu.
The veteran Reyes is no stranger to world title fights and was once a world minimum weight champion in the International Boxing Federation in 2003 but was defeated by Muhammad “The Rock” Rachman (61-6-5, 31 KO’s) in 2004.
He challenged for the WBO belt held by Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon (30-0, 6 KO’s) but failed in a unanimous decision loss.
The ALA boy Nietes has an impressive 22-1-5 win-loss-draw record with 13 knockouts and has won his last nine fights, while the 35-year-old Columbian has 39 wins 5 losses and 1 draw. He also has 30 knockouts.
The Nietes-Reyes card will be one of the undercards of the exciting match between IBF and IBO flyweight kingpin Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire against Australian Hussein “Hussy” Hussein. (EKA)
