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Nietes stops foe in third round to keep WBO title

World Boxing Organization light-flyweight champ Donnie "Ahas" Nietes scored a resounding third-round technical knockout victory over challenger Sammy Gutierrez Saturday night in the main event of Pinoy Pride 23.

Nietes floored his opponent twice in the opening round and stopped him for good at 2:58 of  the third round in perhaps the best fight of his career.

The crowd at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum were searching for a knockout for a knockout the entire night and the boys from the ALA Boxing stable tried to give it to them.

AJ Banal, Jason Pagara, and Milan Melindo all tried but ultimately failed to finish their fights, settling for decision victories, while defending WBO minimumweight champion Merlito Sabilla barely managed to hang on to his title.

Gutierrez, a look-alike of the popular Marco Antonio Barrera, fought with all his might in the second and third rounds but a huge right from the defending champion stopped him for good.

The people were agitated by the time the main event came. They stayed later that initially planned but Nietes made sure he was worth the wait. After only getting a draw in his last outing, Nietes left the result of this fight beyond doubt.

He floored Gutierrez early with a straight right in the first round. The Mexican, coming off almost a year out of the ring, met the floor anew this time care of a Nietes uppercut.

Nietes upped his record to 32-1-4 with 18 knockouts as he retained the belt he won in 2011. He has not lost since 2004 and has held a world belt since Septmeber 2007. He was previously the WBO minimumweight champion before moving up to light-flyweight.

Gutierrez fell to 33-9-2.

The ineffable ending of the Nietes-Gutierrez tiff was the exact opposite of the fight between Merlito Sabillo and Luis Buitrago for the WBO minimumweight title.

The Filipino defending champion, perhaps too aware of the many eyes on him, tried too hard to go for a knockout. He a lunging and swinging wildly aiming to hurt his undefeated opponent, but it almost cost him his title.

Buitrago on the other hand stuck to him game plan by boxing beautifully and moving well. The Nicaraguan also landed the best punch of the fight as he almost knocked down Sabillo in the ninth round with a big right.

One judge saw it 115-113 for Sabillo while another scored it 115-113 for Buitrago. The third judge scored it 114-114 for a draw. Sabillo held on to his WBO belt while Buitrago retains his undefeated record.

A rematch could be in the works for the two minimumweight fighters along with the rematch between Nietes and Moises Fuentes.