Puerto Rico’s Promoter PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP) will participate this week in the purse bid ordered by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) for the mandatory fight between the Filipinos Donnie Nietes (champion) and Aston Palicte for the WBO 115-pound title with the intention of making the bout on the Island.

The WBO announced that it will hold a purse bid on Thursday, February 28, at 9:00 a.m. ET at their offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the rematch between Nietes and Palicte.

“We (PRBBP) are interested in this fight and we would present it in Puerto Rico if we win it, so we will participate in the purse bid that the WBO will have this Thursday,” said Peter Rivera, Vice President of PRBBP.

Nietes (42-1-5, 23 kos), who has reigned in four divisions (105, 108, 112 and 115 pounds), is the current WBO monarch at 115 pounds, a title he won on December 31, 2018 when he beat the Japanese Kazuto Ioka. Palicte (25-2-1, 21 kos) is the #1 ranked of the division and comes from a KO win over Puerto Rican Jose “Chiquiro” Martinez last month. Nietes and Palicte fought in September, 2018, for the vacant WBO belt at 115 pounds and the fight ended in a draw.

“We are very aware of this category (115 pounds of WBO), since our fighter Jeyvier Cintron is classified and if anything happens or the title becomes vacant, we would be available to fight for that belt. Jeyvier is ready to fight for that title,” Rivera added about the Puerto Rican Cintron, a two-time Olympian (the only Puerto Rican boxer to do so) who is unbeaten as a pro with 9-0, 4 kos.