Donnie Nietes has accomplished plenty in his 14-year professional boxing career, winning world titles in two divisions, serving as the longest reigning Filipino world champion and keeping his record unblemished for nearly 13 years now.Nearing his 35th birthday, Nietes (39-1-4, 22 KOs) is looking to add yet another world title to his resume when he takes on KomgrichNantapech (22-3, 15 KOs) on Saturday night for the vacant IBF World flyweight title.Saturday's scrap will be just the second fight for Nietes in the flyweight ranks after spending years dominating at light flyweight. In his first fight in his new division, Nietes cruised to a wide unanimous decision over Edgar Sosa to take over the vacant WBO Inter-continental belt.Nantapech is coming off two-straight KO wins, so his power will have to be accounted for by Nietes in this contest. Here's how to watch the fight.Nietes vs. Nantapech Fight InfoWhere: Cebu City Waterfront Hotel & Casino in Cebu City, PhilippinesWhen: Saturday, April 29 at 6 a.m. ET (6pm local time)Live Stream: TFC.tv (region restricted, subscription required)Nietes has been excellent for so long now, his victories must seem preordained in the eyes of many. Though he lacks the recognition of other Filipino greats like Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire, Nietes has quietly gone about his craft, dominating opponents in his home country and performing well in the occasional foray abroad.Two of his last three fights, against Sosa and Juan Alejo, came at the StubHub Center in Los Angeles. He put in excellent showings in both of those contests, winning all but two rounds on the six judges' scorecards, per BoxRec.com. It's probably too late for him to become a big draw overseas, but there's nothing wrong with dominating at the lighter weights and putting on consistent shows for his legions of fans in the Philippines.The oddsmakers seem to expect another dominant performance from Nietes. According to OddsShark (as of Thursday, April 27), Nietes is a 1-25 favorite, Nantapech a 10-1 underdog.Nantapech has a record of 22-3 with 15 KOs to his name, but he hasn't taken on anyone of great significance. He's also 0-2 in the Philippines, with the last loss coming by unanimous decision against Froilan Saludar in October 2013. This certainly doesn't bode well for his chances against a polished, veteran boxer like Nietes.Of course, there's always the possibility that time and age catch up with Nietes. Nantapech is seven years younger than his esteemed opponent, and his trainer, Rian Munton, believes there is a path to victory on Saturday night."I've been watching and studying Nietes's fights on video, his old fights as well as his latest fights. He's a good boxer. But like any other boxer, Nietes has his weakness, and we plan to exploit that weakness," Munton said, per PhilBoxing.com's Dong Secuya.That's far easier said than done, and it's not like Nietes will be taking his opponent lightly. On the contrary, he's said he has put in more time in training and is even looking to finish the fight early."I have a very good feeling about this fight, because I've trained longer. I put in more time and focus, because I want to give a good performance," said Nietes, per thePhilippine Star's Abac Cordero."This is only my second flyweight match, but I'm confident I will be able to deliver a knockout," he said.Nietes hasn't scored a true KO since pummeling Moises Fuentes in May 2014, but he has forced three opponents to retire early since then. He dropped Gilberto Parra once in March 2015 and sent Raul Garcia down twice in the third round in a lopsided beatdown last year before the fight ended in the fifth.Nietes has a little more weight on him in the flyweight division. As long as his punches are sharp and true, he could certainly earn a knockout win over Nantapech, though another easy decision seems the more likely route for him.
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