Nietes stakes WBO belt vs Mexican

MANILA, Philippines - Donnie “Ahas” Nietes will stake his World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweight title against another Mexican challenger Jesus Silvestre in the other major card in the Boxing at the Bay on Jan. 23 at the Astrodome.

Owner of a 15-1 record, with 12 KOs, Silvestre is the latest Mexican warrior who will try to wrest the 105-pound belt from Nietes after Erik Ramirez and Manuel Vargas failed in their respective bids last year.

A native of Nayarit, Mexico, Silvestre replaces compatriot Sammy “Guty” Gutierrez in the boxing promotion presented by Solar Sports.

Fellow Filipino world champion Brian Viloria headlines the double championship duel as he puts his International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-flyweight crown on the line against Carlos Tamara of Colombia.

The twin championship card is the latest presentation of the Boxing at the Bay, a regular series which Solar Sports first staged in October 2009 which featured Drian Francisco, who scored a 10th round stoppage of former two-time world champion Roberto Vazquez of Panama for the World Boxing Association (WBA) super-flyweight international crown. 

In the tradition of popular boxing programs like Latin Fury of Top Rank Promotions and Pinoy Power, Boxing at the Bay is the biggest ring program in Southeast Asian today that is also being fed live via satellite to Asia, North and South America and a few countries in Europe.

Ticketnet prices for the Boxing at the Bay program is pegged at P1,585 for VIP and special ringside, P845 for ringside, P317 for lower box and P53 for general admission.

The fight will be Nietes’ first in the country in more than a year since scoring a second round knockout of Eddy Castro in Cebu City for his first defense of the WBO title. He beat Pornsawan Porpramook of Thailand in 2007 to claim the crown.

Nietes sent the tough Ramirez to the canvas four times but couldn’t finish him off inside their 12-round duel, settling for a unanimous decision win last February.

Seven months later, he scored a split decision win over Vargas, also in Mexico.

In all, Nietes has been unbeaten in his last 16 outings for a 25-1-3 record, with 14 KOs. His lone loss came in a 10-round split decision against Angky Angkota in Jakarta in 2004.