By Nick Giongco
The fight for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) super-flyweight crown between Donnie Nietes and Aston Palicte will be held on August 11 in Cebu.
This will mark only the third time that two Filipinos will dispute a world crown following Pancho Villa’s showdown with Clever Sencio in 1925 in Manila and Jerwin Ancajas and Jonas Sultan’s duel set for May 26 in Fresno, California.
Since it will be staged in Cebu, Nietes’ promoter, ALA Boxing, in partnership with ABS-CBN, will join hands in holding the slugfest.
Nietes, who turns 36 tomorrow, has a 41-1-4 win-loss-draw card with 23 KOs, while Palicte, 27, a former national team standout, has a 24-2 slate with 20 KOs.
Nietes is gunning for his fourth world title after winning titles at minimumweight, light fly and fly.