Nietes braces for tough battle against Velarde

CEBU, Philippines – Two-division world champion Donnie "Ahas" Nietes (33-1, 19KOs) of the ALA Boxing Gym is the odds-on favorite, but he won't take any chances when he defends his WBO light flyweight title against Mexican challenger Carlos ‘Chapito’ Velarde (26-3, 14KOs) in the main event of the ‘Pinoy Pride 28: History in the Making’ fightcard on November 15 at the Pacific grand ballroom of the Waterfront-Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

“I’m not taking him Velarde lightly. He is not ranked in the WBO for nothing,” said Nietes, who is aiming to shatter the record of the late Cebuano great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde as the longest reigning Filipino world boxing champion. Elorde held the world junior welterweight title for seven years and three months.

“I think he is an intelligent and crafty opponent that is why I trained hard for this fight. I want to leave the light flyweight division with an impressive win,”  added the pride of Murcia, Negros Occidental.

Velarde once vied for the WBA minimumweight crown but lost by fifth round TKO to Japanese Ryo Miyazaki in August 2013 in Osaka, Japan.

“We’ve already studied the Mexican’s moves and I know what to do in the fight. I have also finished close to one hundred rounds of sparring and my conditioning is good,” said Nietes.

This will be his last match under the light flyweight division as the 32-year-old Nietes is moving up to the 112-pound class. Though he is not looking past Velarde,  Nietes has expressed strong interest in challenging WBO flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico.

“Right now, I am focusing on my upcoming title defense," said Nietes. "But I am also thinking about my next move to fight him [Estrada] for the 112 lbs. title." (FREEMAN)