ACCOMPLISHED fighters Donnie “Ahas” Nietes and Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire no longer have to prove anything in their checkered careers—but nonetheless they still have the burning desire to achieve more in their hall-of-fame careers.
Nietes and Donaire declared their readiness in Thursday’s Pinoy Pride 30: D-Day prefight news conference on Thursday at the Solaire Resort and Casino to smother their respective rivals on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Nietes (34-1-4 won-lost-draw, 20 knockouts), the longest-reigning Filipino world champion after surpassing the legendary Gabriel “Flash” Elorde’s record last December, aims to continue his reign in the junior-flyweight division when he defends his World Boxing Organization (WBO) belt against Mexican Gilberto Parra.
“Kahit na marami na akong narating sa pagboboksing, nararamdaman ko na lalong lumalakas ang loob ko, lalo na pinupursigi ko talaga na gumaling sa training para sa susunod na laban,” said Nietes, a recipient of a The Ring Magazine title for his exploits as WBO champion.
Donaire, coming off a devastating sixth round knockout loss to Nicholas Waiters last October, is set to redeem himself on home soil for the first time since 2009 against Brazil’s William Prado for the North American Boxing Federation super bantamweight title.
Donaire said that the loss was a huge wake-up call for him and stressed it would be time for him to make adjustments to gauge his competence against top rivals in the world boxing scene.
“For the last two years, people have thought I’ve lost it. But I’ll reinvent myself for this fight,” Donaire said, who moved up to featherweight. “[The loss to Walters] was more of me realizing [and] admitting that I’m just a human person.”
“I’m just thankful that I was able to stand again [following the loss]. But I was never haunted by it,” he added.
ALA Boxing Promotions President Michael Aldeguer said that pairing two Filipino legends in one card was one huge gamble, especially with the coordination needed with Donaire’s home promotion of Bob Arum’s Top Rank. But seeing all of this happen was all worth it to satisfy the Filipino boxing afficionado.
Image credits: Roy Domingo