WBO wants Nietes-Palicte rematch

MANILA, Philippines — Reigning WBO junior bantamweight champion Donnie Nietes is torn between pursuing a fight with the bigger names or a rematch with countryman Aston Palicte.

“We are looking at different options,” Nietes’ promoter, Michael Aldeguer of ALA Promotions, told The STAR yesterday afternoon.

Nietes and Palicte battled to a controversial draw last September, and since that fight, the latter has been pursuing a rematch.

But the 36-year-old Nietes is looking elsewhere. He wants the big fights in the 115-pound weight class.

They include WBC champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand or former pound-for-pound king Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua or Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico.

Nietes defended his crown against Japan’s Kazuto Ioka last New Year’s Eve while Palicte, who’s only 28, destroyed Puerto Rico’s Jose Martinez last week.

That victory installed Palicte as the mandatory challenger to Nietes.

The WBO yesterday ordered for negotiations for a rematch to begin. If both camps fail to come to terms in 15 days, the WBO will order a purse bid for the rematch.

But Aldeguer is not losing hope that Nietes may land a unification fight with Rungvisai instead of a rematch with Palicte.

“Under the by-laws of the WBO, a unification can be granted as mandatory but needs an approval from the WBO,” said Aldeguer.

“Since unification fights don’t happen all the time, we can also ask for that. They usually grant that. That’s a possibility,” the ALA president said.

“If the unification fight does not happen then the rematch with Palicte is for us to think about. That fight is in front of us now,” he told The STAR.