Nietes stops Reveco; bloodied Viloria loses

MANILA, Philippines — At 35, Donnie Nietes is just getting ready for the big fights.

“I hope that I can now get the fights that I want,” said Nietes following a seventh-round stoppage of Argentina’s Juan Carlos Reveco yesterday at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

“I want the biggest fights,” Nietes told The STAR over the phone.

There’s talk that Roman “Chokolatito” Gonzalez of Nicaragua, the former three-division world champion and ex-pound-for-pound king, is interested in taking on Nietes.

“I heard he wants me. I want that fight, too. I’ve been looking for that fight for a long time,” said Nietes of the possible clash with Gonzalez at 115 pounds.

“I can fight anybody at 112 but if the big fight is at 115 then I will move up. Anybody as long as it’s a big fight,” he said.

Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, who retained his WBC super-flyweight title yesterday at the expense of Mexico’s Juan Francisco Estrada, also looms as a potential foe for Nietes.

“Anybody,” said Nietes.

Filipino Jerwin Ancajas is the IBF champion at 115, but Nietes said there are other fights than fighting a fellow Filipino.

“I’m not looking at Jerwin,” he said.

Former world champion Brian Viloria fought on the same card but took a bloody defeat at the hands of unbeaten Ukrainian Artem Dalakian for the vacant WBA flyweight crown.

Viloria gave his all and lost a lot of blood trying. He suffered a cut on his forehead in the 11th round, caused by an elbow, and wore a bloody mask until the end.

The “Hawaiian Punch” went down to 38-6 with 23 knockouts.

Nietes used a hundred blows to stop Reveco, with the final blow, a left to the head, sending the challenger down in the neutral corner.

Reveco managed to get up but could not continue.

Nietes improved his record to 41-1-4 with 23 knockouts. He hasn’t lost a fight since 2004, in the process recording 30 wins and three draws, and becoming the longest-reigning Filipino champion.

“I’m very happy with the win. It was an impressive win. I know that people want to see a knockout, and I gave it to them,” said Nietes.

“I was patient at the start. He used his jab and I could not connect to the head. But in the fifth and sixth rounds I knew I hurt him,” said Nietes, who trained hard under the Villamors, Edmund and Edito, and strength coach Nick Curson.