Donnie Nietes to fight for WBO International title on April 3rd

Earlier today our good Ian Melodillar shared the details of Donnie Nietes (42-1-5, 23) return to the ring, on April 3rd in Dubai, with an update on his opponent and the confirmation that the bout will be for a minor title, as well as sharing the promotional image for the bout.

It's now been confirmed that unbeaten Panamanian fighter Orlando Penalba (10-0, 2) is out of the bout, and he has instead been replaced by experienced Colombian fighter Pablo Carrillo (25-7-1, 16)​, with the two men set to fight for the WBO International Super Flyweight title.

For the talented Nietes this will be his first bout since December 31st 2018, when he beat Kazuto Ioka for the WBO Super Flyweight title and became a 4 weight champion. With 2 years out of the ring it's hard to know what the 38 year old has left in the tank, but this should be a good chance to see how good he looks and how sharp he is after such a long lay off. We all know little guys age quickly, and 38 is ancient for a Super Flyweight, but he hasn't ever taken a lot of punishment, and he has stayed in good shape during his time out of the ring.

Interestingly Carrillo has also been out of the ring for a while, with his last bout being against Luis Golindano in August 2019, though he is much younger than Nietes, at just 32 years old. Although not a major name Carrillo is a genuine veteran and has shared the ring with the likes of Luis Concepcion, who he fought twice in 2012, Kazuto Ioka, who he fought in 2014 and Francisco Rodriguez Jr, in 2018.

The bout will be featured on the under-card of Jamel Herring's WBO Super Featherweight title defense against against Carl Frampton.