Nietes vows to be at his best

MANILA, Philippines - Donnie “Ahas” Nietes said he trained long and hard for the defense of his WBO light-flyweight crown against Mexican Felipe Salguero on June 2 at Resorts World Manila.

He wants to make sure what happened last October, when he won the title against another Mexican, Ramon Garcia Hirales, won’t happen again.

On the scorecards, Nietes was the unanimous winner. But inside the ring, it looked otherwise as the 30-year-old Filipino was in trouble, and bled from a cut.

Hirales felt he was robbed, and demanded a rematch even before he stepped out of the ring. He said the two judges who scored it 118-110 and 117-111 saw a different fight.

Nietes said he was never hurt by Hirales, just out of gas, and that the judges called it fair and square. Filipino judge Danrex Tapdasan called it 115-113.

But Hirales did not get the rematch, and instead it will be Salguero, from Toluca, Mexico, who will slug it out with Nietes.

“Mas pinag-handaan ko na ito (I trained harder for this),” said Nietes, who loves to parade his pet python during the ring introduction.

In the main undercard, undefeated Milan Melindo (26-0 with 10 knockouts) tests Jesus Gelez of Colombia for the WBO International flyweight crown.

Filipino Genesis “Azukal” Servania (17-0) will take on “the real” Genaro Garcia for the WBC International super-bantamweight crown.

A fake Genaro Garcia showed up in Tagbilaran City last March to face Boom Boom Bautista, and organizers almost scrapped the event at the last minute.

Nietes sounded confident in the first defense of his 108 lb title.

“This will be a good fight,” said the boxer who held on to the WBO minimumweight crown from 2007 until 2010.

Except for his ring record of 16-2-1 with 11 knockouts, and that both his losses came in his first two fights as a pro, nothing much is written about Salguero.

“Pero kilala ko siya (But I know him). Halos pareho kami ng galaw (We almost move the same). Kaya magandang laban ito,” said Nietes.

He said he will go for the knockout if there’s an opportunity. He said if it comes, then it comes, but that he won’t force the issue.

“I will try my best,” Nietes (29-1-3 with 16 KOs) said.

He wasn’t at his best the last time.