Nietes ahead of schedule for WBO title fight

Former World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweight champion Donnie Nietes is still two months away from his second world title attempt against Mexico's Ramon Garcia Hirales, but he's already ahead of schedule in training. Nietes (28-1-3, 16 knockouts) is preparing to face 28-year-old WBO light flyweight champ Hirales (16-2-1, 9 KOs) on October 8 at the University of St. La Salle Gymnasium in Bacolod City, the hometown of the 29-year-old Filipino fighter. Pio Solon, Nietes' conditioning coach who also holds the same position for the Philippine national boxing team, told GMA News that he doesn't overtrain his ward with the former 105-pound champion out of the gym for the past two weeks. He added that Nietes will return next week to heavy conditioning work. Nietes, who scored a first-round knockout of Armando Vazquez in April in his first major fight at 108 lbs, has been doing weight training with Solon at the ALA Boxing Gym in Cebu. Solon said he is focusing on building up Nietes' legs to prepare him of facing bigger fighters. "He needs to be denser for 108 pounds. He needs a bit more muscle especially in the lower body." "He's a little bit denser now. and a lot more stronger this time around. the next thing we'll work on is having the strength come together with his speed. He seems fast now, but we still have to make him faster." Nietes' trainer Edito "Ala" Villamor, who is currently in Japan as his fighter Roli Gasca (16-1, 3 KOs) of Cebu is set to face Japanese slugger Hiromasa Ohashi (24-9-3, 15 KOs) on August 7 for the latter's OPBF super bantamweight title, is expecting Hirales to be Nietes' toughest fight to date. "Hirales is a good puncher and a good fighter," said Villamor. "We will try everything to win this coming fight on October 8." Eden Sonsona aims for return to boxing paradise News of Eden Sonsona's return to the ring following a 13-month absense were largely overshadowed by his former world champion cousin Marvin Sonsona's return to the gym last month, but it's the former who begins the road to redemption first. On Saturday (August 6), the 22-year-old super bantamweight from General Santos City will fight for the first time since his ninth-round knockout defeat last July to Jonathan Oquendo in Puerto Rico on the undercard of Nonito Donaire and Bernabe Concepcion's world title doubleheader. On the verge of world title contention last year, Sonsona (26-6, 7 KOs) is now back at square one, facing "The Fighting Boholano" Eman Labanza (7-7, 0 KO) at the Mandaue City Sports Complex in Cebu. The event will be promoted by boxing legend Gerry Penalosa and will be aired on 10 a.m. Sunday at GMA 7. Sonsona, who admits to losing his confidence following the Oquendo defeat, fell into the trappings of having money for the first time. Drugs, alcohol, women, and other vices sidetracked Sonsona, who was on the same path to self-destruction as his cousin Marvin. It took Sonsona's uncle and a friend Reggie De Leon to open his eyes to the possibilities that laid before, if he were to assert himself back into training. De Leon introduced Sonsona to new manager Ian Bicera, who will coordinate his comeback plans. "I told myself, 'It's time to get back on track,'" said Sonsona. He added he'll donate the money that he'll get from the fight to the Oval Plaza Boxing Gym in General Santos City, where he first learned to box. Sonsona feels that he owes much of his boxing success to the gym, and his hard-scrabble upbringing in the city that produced Manny Pacquiao. "There is a saying that if a boxer is from 'GenSan,' he's lucky!," said Sonsona. "General na, Santos pa!" The show will be headlined by the eight-round match between Dodie Boy Peñalosa Jr. and Thailand's Kong Kiatpracha Gym. Peñalosa, who is the son of former champion Dodie Boy Sr. and the nephew of two-time world titlist Gerry, holds a record of 5-0 (5 KOs), while his Thai foe is 5-8-1 (2 KOs) and has been knocked out four times. Mandaue City's former World Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight champ Rodel Mayol (28-5-2, 21 KOs) will go up against Jayson Rotoni 12-9-1 (7 KOs) in another undercard bout. Mayol has won two straight since losing his world title to Omar Nino Romero. - JVP, GMA News Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and contributes to GMA News and the Filipino Reporter newspaper in New York City. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com. An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryansongalia.