DONNIE NIETES is eager to finally win his fourth division world title against Japanese star Kazuto Ioka on Dec. 31 at the Wynn Palace Cotai in Macau following a controversial draw in his last fight.
The 36-year-old Nietes gunned for his fourth division crown last September in a fight against fellow Filipino Aston Palicte at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Nietes dominated Palicte but the fight ended in a split draw that left the World Boxing Organization (WBO) super flyweight crown vacant.
ALA Gym head trainer Edito Villamor feels that the same decision could happen in this fight but Nietes will make sure that it will go his way this time around.
“It depends on the judges but Donnie’s hunger to get his fourth division world title is even greater now,” Villamor told SunStar Cebu.
Nietes and Ioka are fighting for the same vacant WBO belt.
Nietes has had some adjustments in his training camp for this fight. Instead of his usual sparring partners at the ALA Gym, he has been sparring with two of Brix Flores’ boxers—Renoel Pael and Elias Joaquino.
“Donnie’s training camp has been going very well. We have a change in his usual sparring partners to put him out of his comfort zone,” said Villamor. “So that there will be a different feel in his sparring. Pael and Joaquino also have similarities with Ioka. They are giving Donnie good sparring.”
After taking time off from boxing in most of 2017 and early this year, Ioka made his ring return with a unanimous decision over McWilliams Arroyo in the same show where Nietes fought Palicte.
“Ioka has his weaknesses but we don’t want to go into details. I know Donnie can deliver during the fight like what he did in the (Juan Carlos) Reveco and Palicte fights,” said Villamor.
Nietes also had a great strength and conditioning camp under Nick Curson.
Nietes, a three-division world champion, is 41-1-5 with 23 knockouts, while Ioka, a three-division world champion himself, is 23-1 with 13 knockouts. (EKA)