How Will the Kazuto Ioka v Donnie Nietes Rematch Play Out?
When Kazuto Ioka (28-2, 15KOs) and Donnie “Ahas” Nietes (43-1-6, 23KOs) locked horns for the vacant WBO super flyweight title in December of 2018, the fight was highly anticipated. Both men are multi-weight champions and future Hall of Famers. They fought a very closely contested bout that could’ve gone to either fighter. However, when it was all said and done, the victory went to the man from the Philippines, Nietes.
WBO ORDERS REMATCH!
The WBO sent out letters to the representatives of Ioka and Nietes letting them know they were formally ordering a rematch. The parties have thirty days to reach an agreement. If no deal is reached, then a purse bid will be scheduled.
Since that bout, Ioka has gotten back to his winning ways. This includes fighting yet again for the vacant super flyweight title, stopping Aston Palicte in ten rounds. He has made four consecutive title defenses, with the latest coming against Ryoji Fukunaga in December of 2021.
In terms of Nietes, he returned to the ring in April 2021 after over two-years out of the ring, defeating Pablo Carrillo before settling for a draw in his December 2021 bout.
The news of this rematch possibly being on the horizon has to be music to the ears of Ioka, who wants to exact revenge on the man that gave him only his second career defeat. Also, having been the much more active fighter, on top of being younger, one has to figure he’ll go into this fight as the favorite. However, you should never count out the four-division world champion, Donnie Nietes. After all, he did beat Ioka in the first fight.
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
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