DONNIE Nietes, the longest-reigning Filipino world champion, kept his conquest of Mexicans going with a scintillating performance Saturday against former two-division world champion Raul “Rayito” Garcia from whose identical twin brother Raul Garcia Hirales, he won his World Boxing Organization light flyweight title at the St. La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod City on Oct. 8, 2011.
While the first fight saw an excited and nervous Nietes, who claimed he couldn’t sleep before that title fight, struggle to win, although it ended in lopsided fashion, the clash against “Rayito” Garcia, saw him put on a dominating performance in which he dropped the Mexican twice in Round 3 and forced him to quit on his stool before the start of Round 6, a victim of Nietes’ vicious blows to the body throughout.
The opening stanza was a feeling-out round for Nietes, who was able to sneak in a couple of probing good body shots before continuing in Round 2, but lulling Garcia into a false sense of security.
Picking up the tempo in Round 3 and cheered on by the sell-out crowd, mainly of hometown fans, Nietes landed a big right hand followed by a right hook that hurt Garcia and then hammered him with a thundering left hook that dropped him for the first time in his career.
Chicago referee Celestino Ruiz appeared to spend too much time asking Garcia whether he was okay, which gave the Mexican time to recover, but as the referee signaled them to continue, Nietes ripped Gracia with another classic right straight that dropped the challenger for the second time, giving the Filipino an automatic 10-7 round.
Garcia glanced at his corner before being saved by the bell.
Nietes kept the pressure on Garcia, but didn’t charge in recklessly while it became clear that the end was near for the Mexican, who wilted under the wicked body shots of the champ and the left hook that he had perfected in training under the watchful eye of veteran mentor Edmund Villamor.
The 34-year-old Nietes, who entered the ring with his pet python around his neck, systematically strangled Garcia to register his 10th successful defense of the 108-pound belt and upped his unbeaten record against Mexicans fighters to 15-0.