Donnie Nietes to defend title vs. Juan Carlos Reveco in third Superly 2 TV fight
The Superfly 2 tripleheader is now rounded out, and the latest addition is a good one, even if it’s not a 115-pound bout.
It was announced Thursday that Donnie Nietes will make the first defense of his 112-pound title against former champion Juan Carlos Reveco on February 24 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
Nietes, who is on the cusp on pound-for-pound status, won the flyweight title with a 12-round over Komgrich Nantapech in April. Now, Nietes is getting ready for his close-up on American television.
“Fighting in Los Angeles for the third time in front of the great Filipino fans along with fighting on HBO is a great honor for me, said Nietes, 35, who will compete before Juan Francisco Estrada challenges Srisaket Sor Rungvisai for a title. “I know how tough Reveco is but I’ll be well prepared to defend my title on Saturday, February 24.”
Nietes (40-1-4, 22 knockouts) also held titles at 105 pounds and 108, and now he’ll share a card with some of the best 115-pounders in the world.
In Reveco (39-3, 19 KOs), he’ll meet a man who also beat Nantapech in his last outing, a unanimous decision, too. The 34-year-old Argentine held a title at 108 pounds and then 112, but lost that flyweight belt to Kazuto Ioka via majority decision before he was knocked out in the rematch.
He, too, is preparing for his HBO debut, and this will be Reveco’s first fight in the U.S.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me to finally fight in the United States and against a great champion in Donnie Nietes,” Reveco said. “I know there will be a huge amount of Argentinian fans at the Forum for the fight and I look forward to winning the IBF Flyweight World Title in front of them.”
With Nietes the top dog at flyweight and Reveco rated No. 3 by THE RING, it’s possible the bout will be contested for the publication’s vacant championship.
Mike Coppinger is the Senior Writer for RingTV.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger