Donnie “Ahas” Nietes started the new year as the Philippines’ 4th-division world champion, claiming the WBO Jr. Bantamweight title after defeating three-division world champion Kazuto Ioka of Japan in a New Year’s Eve ring fight at the Wynn Palace in Cotai, Macau.
Nietes is the 3rd Filipino boxer to achieve the feat of holding four weight division titles, after the legendary Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao who picked up his 60th win in 2018 and is the reigning WBA Welterweight Champion, and international boxing champion Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr., the reigning WBA “Super” bantamweight champion.
Ahas also holds the Filipino record for the longest winning streak, being undefeated since 2004.
After a 12-round fight, the 36-year-old Ahas won via split decision against the 26-year-old Japanese boxing star after American judges, Levi Martinez and Patricia Morse Jarman, gave scores of 118-110 and 116-112 in his favour. Winning the fight extended the Filipino boxing champion’s 14-year unbeaten streak record of 30 wins with 23 knockouts and three draws.
Nietes’ win brings him into the short list of Filipino multiple division world boxing champions Nonito Donaire Jr. with four divisions under his belt and Manny Pacquiao with a staggering record of eight weight divisions.
The 4-division world boxing champion titles of Donnie “Ahas” Nietes include:
- WBO Minimumweight, his first title in 2007 against Pornsawarn Kratingdaenggym of Thailand in Cebu City
- Light flyweight against Mexico’s Ramón García Hirales in 2011
- Flyweight title against Thailand’s Komgrich Nantapech in 2017, successfully defended against Argentina’s Juan Carlos Reveco via Technical Knockout
- WBO Jr Bantamweight, against Japan’s Kazuto Ioka in 2018, Macau
