# Donnie Nietes

Donnie Liboon Nietes (born May 12, 1982) is a Filipino professional boxer. He is a world champion in four weight-classes, having previously held the WBO mini-flyweight title from 2007 to 2011; the WBO and The Ring magazine junior-flyweight titles between 2011 and 2016; IBF flyweight title from 2017 to 2018; and the WBO junior-bantamweight title from 2018 to 2019. He is the longest-reigning Filipino boxing world champion, surpassing in 2014 the record set in 1967 by Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Gabriel "Flash" Elorde. He was one of the first three Asian fighters with world titles in at least four weight classes alongside fellow Filipinos Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire.

## Nickname

Regarding how Nietes got his nickname "Ahas" which is Tagalog for "snake," Tony Aldeguer states:
   "Donnie got his nickname 'ahas' when he was a utility boy at the ALA Gym. One of his daily chores was to clean the snake pit with five big pythons and he was the only man with the guts to do it. He was bitten several times. But once he befriended the snakes, he was never bitten again. One day, a snake laid 11 eggs but only one survived. Donnie took care of that snake and he still does to this day. That's how he got his nickname."

## Professional career
### Early years

Nietes worked as a utility man at the now-disbanded Antonio Lopez Aldeguer's (ALA) boxing gym before taking up boxing after being encouraged by the practitioners with whom he socialized.
In 2003, at the age of 20, Nietes started his career as a professional boxer. On, May 22, 2004, he won the Philippines Boxing Federation (PBF) light flyweight title against Joseph Villasis via first-round technical knockout. Nietes was undefeated before losing in his bout against Angky Angkota via 10-round split decision on September 28, 2004. Angkota weighed in six pounds over the weight limit for this fight.
On November 24, 2006, Nietes won the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Minimumweight Title against Heri Amol of Indonesia via second-round knockout. He defended the title twice against Thai boxers Thongthailek Sor Tanapinyo and Sakulpan Pakdee Gym prior to world title fights in minimumweight division.

### Minimumweight

On September 30, 2007, Nietes fought then undefeated Pornsawarn Kratingdaenggym of Thailand for the vacant WBO Minimumweight World Title in Waterfront-Cebu City Hotel, Cebu City, Philippines. Although Nietes floored Kratingdaenggym in the fourth round, the Thai boxer managed to get up and last until the final bell. The bout ended in a unanimous decision in favor of Nietes.
Three times, Nietes has been pitted with fighters against whom he was supposed to defend his title, however, all plans have fallen through for undisclosed reasons. Because of this, he was at risk of being stripped off his belt, as WBO rules state that a champion has to defend his title within a year. After 11 months of inactivity, he finally defended his crown, against Eddy Castro (12–3–1) on August 30, 2008. Nietes (23–1–3, with 14 knockouts) won the fight by technical knockout at 2:49 mark of the second round.
Nietes defended his title for the second time by scoring a unanimous decision victory over Erik Ramirez on February 28, 2009. En route to the win, Nietes sent Ramirez to the canvass four times in separate rounds.
In his third defense, Nietes battled interim champion Manuel Vargas on September 12, 2009. Nietes won the bout by split decision.
On January 23, 2010, Nietes was supposed to defend his WBO title for the fourth time. After a couple of opponents backed out, Mexico's Jesus Silvestre became the last resort. But because Silvestre wasn't ranked in the WBO, Nietes' title wasn't wagered and the bout was only 10 rounds. In the fight, both boxers did well and appeared strong. In the 10th and final round, Nietes was declared winner by TKO when Silvestre stopped to take a drink of water during the fight, a move that was against the rules.
In his fourth title defense, Nietes fought Mexico's Mario Rodriguez. The fight took place on August 14, 2010, at the Auditorio Luis Estrada Medina in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. The Filipino pugilist won the bout by unanimous decision with scores of 119–109, 118-110 and 116–112.
Nietes was scheduled to defend his title on March 12, 2011, against mandatory challenger and former champion Raul Garcia (29–1–0). However, less than two weeks before the fight, Nietes announced that he would be vacating his world title and moving up in weight. On April 9, 2011, Nietes faced Armando Vazquez (18–5–0) and defeated him via first round knock out.

### Light flyweight

On October 8, 2011, Nietes defeated Mexico's Ramón García Hirales via 12-round unanimous decision to win the WBO Light Flyweight title. Nietes defended the title on June 2, 2012, against Felipe Salguero via unanimous decision.
Nietes retained his WBO Light Flyweight title against WBO Minimumweight champion Moises Fuentes on March 2, 2013, via a majority draw.
On November 15, 2014, the Bacolod native successfully defended his WBO and The Ring Light Flyweight titles by stopping Carlos Velarde of Mexico in the 7th round. Nietes became the longest-reigning Filipino world champion on that same day, surpassing the record previously held by Gabriel Elorde.

### Flyweight

After breaking Elorde's record, Nietes successfully defended his title four more times before deciding to move up to the flyweight division. His first flyweight fight was against former WBC light flyweight champion Edgar Sosa on September 24, 2016. On April 29, 2017, Nietes became the third Filipino boxer to win world titles in three different weight divisions, along with Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire when he defeated Thailand's Komgrich Nantapech. He successfully defended his title against the mandatory challenger Argentinaian and former two division world champion Juan Carlos Reveco winning via Technical Knockout after Reveco's corner throws in the towel, on the 7th round of the fight. On June 14, 2018, Nietes entered The Ring magazine's pound for pound list for the first time in his career at the number nine spot.

### Junior bantamweight

Nietes made his debut in the junior-bantamweight division against Filipino compatriot Aston Palicte for the vacant WBO Super Flyweight Championship. The fight ended in a split decision draw, 118-110 for Nietes, 116-112 for Palicte and a 114–114 draw at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Punch count statistics saw Nietes, 36, land 194 punches, 70 more than Palicte, his 40 percent of punches landed was nearly twice the accuracy rate of his rival. While not beaten, Nietes was denied a victory that would have put him alongside Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire as the only Asian fighters with world titles in at least four weight classes. He eventually won the same vacant title after defeating Kazuto Ioka via split decision on December 21, 2018, becoming the third Asian to win world titles in at least four weight classes.
On February 6, 2019, the WBO ordered a rematch of Nietes and Palicte after a controversial result of their first fight. On February 28, 2019, Nietes decided to vacate his WBO Junior Bantamweight title to pursue more lucrative fights in a different organization or weight class.
On April 3, 2021, Nietes fought Pablo Carillo, for the vacant WBO International junior-bantamweight title. Nietes won via unanimous decision, the scorecards were, 99–91, 98-92 and 96–95. On December 11, 2021, Nietes made his first title defense against Norbelto Jimenez at the Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The fight ended in a ten-round split decision draw. The scores were 96-94 Nietes, 96-94 Jimenez and 95-95 and Nietes was able to retain his WBO International junior-bantamweight title.
On April 1, 2022, the WBO ordered Kazuto Ioka to make a mandatory title defense against Nietes. The bout was a rematch of their December 31, 2018 fight, in which Nietes won by split decision. Both parties came to an agreement a month later, and officially announced the bout for July 13, 2022. Nietes lost the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 120–108, 118–110 and 117–111.

### Bantamweight

Nietes is set to face Muhammad Waseem on July 22, 2023, in Dubai for the vacant IBO bantamweight world title. The fight has been postponed due to visa issue by Waseem's team.

## Professional boxing record

| 51 fights | 43 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 23 | 0 |
| By decision | 20 | 2 |
| Draws | 6 | 6 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 51 | Loss | 43–2–6 | Kazuto Ioka | UD | 12 | Jul 13, 2022 | Ota City General Gymnasium, Ōta, Tokyo, Japan | For WBO junior-bantamweight title |
| 50 | Draw | 43–1–6 | Norbelto Jimenez | SD | 10 | Dec 11, 2021 | Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, UAE | Retained WBO International junior-bantamweight title |
| 49 | Win | 43–1–5 | Pablo Carillo | UD | 10 | Apr 3, 2021 | The Rotunda Caesars Palace Bluewaters, Dubai, UAE | Won vacant WBO International junior-bantamweight title |
| 48 | Win | 42–1–5 | Kazuto Ioka | SD | 12 | Dec 31, 2018 | Wynn Palace, Macau, SAR | Won vacant WBO junior-bantamweight title |
| 47 | Draw | 41–1–5 | Aston Palicte | SD | 12 | Sep 8, 2018 | The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. | For vacant WBO junior-bantamweight title |
| 46 | Win | 41–1–4 | Juan Carlos Reveco | TKO | 7 (12), 0:53 | Feb 24, 2018 | The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. | Retained IBF flyweight title |
| 45 | Win | 40–1–4 | Komgrich Nantapech | UD | 12 | Apr 29, 2017 | Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Cebu City, Philippines | Won vacant IBF flyweight title |
| 44 | Win | 39–1–4 | Edgar Sosa | UD | 12 | Sep 24, 2016 | StubHub Center, Carson, California, U.S. | Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental flyweight title |
| 43 | Win | 38–1–4 | Raul Garcia | RTD | 5 (12), 3:00 | May 28, 2016 | La Salle Coliseum, Bacolod, Philippines | Retained WBO and The Ring junior-flyweight titles |
| 42 | Win | 37–1–4 | Juan Alejo | UD | 12 | Oct 17, 2015 | StubHub Center, Carson, California, U.S. | Retained WBO and The Ring junior-flyweight titles |
| 41 | Win | 36–1–4 | Francisco Rodríguez Jr. | UD | 12 | Jul 11, 2015 | Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Cebu City, Philippines | Retained WBO and The Ring junior-flyweight titles |
| 40 | Win | 35–1–4 | Gilberto Parra | RTD | 9 (12), 3:00 | Mar 28, 2015 | Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Philippines | Retained WBO and The Ring junior-flyweight titles |
| 39 | Win | 34–1–4 | Carlos Velarde | RTD | 7 (12), 3:00 | Nov 15, 2014 | Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Cebu City, Philippines | Retained WBO and The Ring junior-flyweight titles |
| 38 | Win | 33–1–4 | Moisés Fuentes | TKO | 9 (12), 2:56 | May 10, 2014 | Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay, Philippines | Retained WBO junior-flyweight title; Won vacant The Ring junior-flyweight title |
| 37 | Win | 32–1–4 | Sammy Gutiérrez | TKO | 3 (12), 2:58 | Nov 30, 2013 | Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Philippines | Retained WBO junior-flyweight title |
| 36 | Draw | 31–1–4 | Moisés Fuentes | MD | 12 | Mar 2, 2013 | Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Cebu City, Philippines | Retained WBO junior-flyweight title |
| 35 | Win | 31–1–3 | Danai Meendaeng | KO | 5 (12), 2:46 | Nov 17, 2012 | Lamberto Macias Sports Complex, Dumaguete, Philippines | |
| 34 | Win | 30–1–3 | Felipe Salguero | UD | 12 | Jun 2, 2012 | Resorts World Manila, Pasay, Philippines | Retained WBO junior-flyweight title |
| 33 | Win | 29–1–3 | Ramón García Hirales | UD | 12 | Oct 8, 2011 | La Salle Coliseum, Bacolod, Philippines | Won WBO junior-flyweight title |
| 32 | Win | 28–1–3 | Armando Vazquez | KO | 1 (10), 2:26 | Apr 9, 2011 | La Salle Coliseum, Bacolod, Philippines | |
| 31 | Win | 27–1–3 | Mario Rodríguez | UD | 12 | Aug 14, 2010 | Auditorio Luis Estrada Medina, Guasave, Mexico | Retained WBO mini-flyweight title |
| 30 | Win | 26–1–3 | Jesús Silvestre | TKO | 10 (10), 1:37 | Jan 23, 2010 | Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay, Philippines | |
| 29 | Win | 25–1–3 | Manuel Vargas | SD | 12 | Sep 12, 2009 | El Palenque de la Feria, Tepic, Mexico | Retained WBO mini-flyweight title |
| 28 | Win | 24–1–3 | Erik Ramirez | UD | 12 | Feb 28, 2009 | Auditorio Guelaguetza, Oaxaca, Mexico | Retained WBO mini-flyweight title |
| 27 | Win | 23–1–3 | Eddy Castro | KO | 2 (12), 2:49 | Aug 30, 2008 | Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Cebu City, Philippines | Retained WBO mini-flyweight title |
| 26 | Win | 22–1–3 | Pornsawan Porpramook | UD | 12 | Sep 30, 2007 | Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Cebu City, Philippines | Won vacant WBO mini-flyweight title |
| 25 | Win | 21–1–3 | Saengpetch Sor Sakulphan | TKO | 7 (12), 0:36 | Jul 7, 2007 | Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Cebu City, Philippines | Retained WBO Asia Pacific mini-flyweight title |
| 24 | Win | 20–1–3 | Thongthailek Sor Tanapinyo | KO | 2 (12) | Apr 21, 2007 | New City Coliseum, Victorias, Philippines | Retained WBO Asia Pacific mini-flyweight title |
| 23 | Win | 19–1–3 | Heri Amol | KO | 2 (12), 0:46 | Nov 24, 2006 | Sports & Cultural Complex, Mandaue City, Philippines | Won vacant WBO Asia Pacific mini-flyweight title |
| 22 | Win | 18–1–3 | Robert Rubillar | UD | 10 | Aug 12, 2006 | Sports Complex, Minglanilla, Philippines | |
| 21 | Win | 17–1–3 | Noel Veronque | UD | 6 | Jan 15, 2006 | Gaisano Country Mall Parking Lot, Cebu City, Philippines | |
| 20 | Win | 16–1–3 | Allan Dugang | UD | 8 | Dec 30, 2005 | CPG Multi-Purpose Center, Talibon, Philippines | |
| 19 | Win | 15–1–3 | Randy Narbay | KO | 2 (8) | Sep 25, 2005 | Island City Mall, Tagbilaran, Philippines | |
| 18 | Win | 14–1–3 | Allan Dugang | UD | 10 | Aug 28, 2005 | Town Plaza, Panglao, Philippines | |
| 17 | Draw | 13–1–3 | Nino Suelo | TD | 1 (8), 1:26 | Jul 30, 2005 | San Andres Civic & Sports Center, Manila, Philippines | |
| 16 | Win | 13–1–2 | Elmer Muyco | UD | 10 | Apr 30, 2005 | Sports & Cultural Complex, Mandaue City, Philippines | |
| 15 | Win | 12–1–2 | Ricardo Albia | TKO | 7 (8), 1:06 | Jan 29, 2005 | Sports & Cultural Complex, Mandaue City, Philippines | |
| 14 | Draw | 11–1–2 | Carlo Besares | MD | 10 | Nov 20, 2004 | University of Mindanao Gymnasium, Tagum, Philippines | |
| 13 | Loss | 11–1–1 | Angky Angkota | SD | 10 | Sep 28, 2004 | RCTI Studios, Jakarta, Indonesia | |
| 12 | Win | 11–0–1 | Abrin Matta | TKO | 5 (10) | Sep 7, 2004 | BIN Arena, Jakarta, Indonesia | |
| 11 | Win | 10–0–1 | Marti Polii | TKO | 7 (10), 2:15 | Aug 3, 2004 | RCTI Studios, Jakarta, Indonesia | |
| 10 | Win | 9–0–1 | Robert Costelo | TKO | 1 (10), 1:58 | Jun 29, 2004 | Gaisano Country Mall Parking Lot, Cebu City, Philippines | Retained PBF junior-flyweight title |
| 9 | Win | 8–0–1 | Joseph Villasis | TKO | 1 (10), 1:16 | May 22, 2004 | Ynares Sr. Memorial Gym, Binangonan, Philippines | Won vacant PBF junior-flyweight title |
| 8 | Win | 7–0–1 | Robert Rubillar | TKO | 7 (10), 1:22 | Mar 28, 2004 | Ynares Sr. Memorial Gym, Binangonan, Philippines | |
| 7 | Win | 6–0–1 | Julius Alcos | SD | 10 | Feb 28, 2004 | Sports & Cultural Complex, Mandaue City, Philippines | |
| 6 | Win | 5–0–1 | Rolando Baclayo | KO | 4 (10) | Dec 27, 2003 | Sports Complex, Danao, Cebu, Philippines | |
| 5 | Win | 4–0–1 | Roldan Malinao | KO | 4 (8) | Oct 4, 2003 | Sports & Cultural Complex, Mandaue City, Philippines | |
| 4 | Draw | 3–0–1 | Greg Mangan | MD | 8 | Aug 16, 2003 | New Coliseum, Cebu City, Philippines | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Rommel Tura | TKO | 1 (8) | Jun 12, 2003 | Gaisano Country Mall Parking Lot, Cebu City, Philippines | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Mario Jun de Asis | UD | 6 | May 31, 2003 | Town Plaza, Catmon, Philippines | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Walter Suaybaguio | UD | 6 | Apr 25, 2003 | Barangay Pitalo, San Fernando, Philippines | |

## Titles in boxing

Major world titles:
* WBO mini flyweight champion (105 lbs)
* WBO junior flyweight champion (108 lbs)
* IBF flyweight champion (112 lbs)
* WBO junior bantamweight champion (115 lbs)
The Ring magazine titles:
* The Ring junior flyweight champion(108 lbs)
Regional/International titles:
* WBO Asia Pacific mini flyweight champion (105 lbs)
* PBF light flyweight champion (108 lbs)
* WBO Inter-Continental flyweight champion (112 lbs)
* WBO International junior bantamweight champion (115 lbs)
Honorary titles:
* WBO Super Champion

## Awards and recognition

* 2015 Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Sportsman of the Year
* 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 Gabriel "Flash" Elorde Memorial Boxer of the Year

## Legacy

A statue of Nietes was built in Murcia, Negros Occidental.