Donnie Nietes decisions Kazuto Ioka to become the new WBO super flyweight champion
The highly anticipated match-up between Donnie Nietes and Kazuto Ioka has concluded. The two three-division world champions delivered a highly competitive and quality fight.
In the opening stanza, Ioka came out behind his jab to establish the range early. His opponent, on the other hand, mixed his attack with jabs and punches to the head and body.
Rounds two and three were action packed rounds that saw both men sit in the pocket and trade big shots. Nietes appeared to land the more effective shots to the head, while Ioka landed the harder body shots.
The Middle Rounds
As the fight wore on, the action kept up as both men continued trading big shots. Nietes was landing and countering well in the fourth round. Ioka, in the fifth round, continued pressing forward behind his jab while landing thudding body shots.
The final few rounds were extremely close as both men traded and landed lots of leather. Nietes, however, landed the flashier eye-catching shots. Ioka, to his credit, showed resilience and responded in the championship rounds by landing some hard shots at the conclusion of the fight.
The Decision
Both men performed extremely well in a close battle. In the end, the judges declared Donnie Nietes the winner by split decision. The scorecards read 116-112 for Ioka and 118-110, 116-112 for Nietes.
3kingsboxing.com scored the fight 115-113 for Donnie Nietes!
Many believe the 118-110 scorecard to be a bit wide as both men clearly had their moments. Nevertheless, Nietes successfully picks up a belt in his fourth division!
By: Jerrell Fletcher
