Donnie Nietes vs Norbelto Jiminez Preview Dec. 11th, 2021
Four division world champion Donnie Nietes of the Philippines returns to the ring for just the second time since New Year’s Eve, 2018 when he takes on Norbelto Jiminez of the Dominican Republic. The scheduled 12-round junior bantamweight bout comes from Dubai this Saturday, December 11th and can be seen live in the UK on BT Sport 1. Nietes last fought in April when he beat Pablo Carrillo by a 10-round unanimous decision for the vacant WBO International Super Flyweight Title. Jiminez beat Marvin Solano by an eight-round unanimous decision last December in his most recent outing. Nietes enters the bout on a 36-fight unbeaten streak and hasn’t lost since 2004. He was also a former Flyweight, Light Flyweight and Minimumweight Champion earlier in his career.
Nietes vs Jiminez Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Norbelto Jiminez +600
- Donnie Nietes -1000
My Pick
The 39-year-old Nietes has won titles in four weight divisions as a pro and has been beaten just once in his career. He will climb into the ring with an impressive record of 43-1-5 with 23 Kos. His lone defeat came at the hands of Angky Angkotta by way of a 10-round split decision back in 2004. He’s also fought draws with Aston Palicte, Moises Fuentes, Greg Mangan, Carlo Besares and Nino Suelo over the years.
Nietes turned pro in 2003 and has fought 368 rounds since. He stands 5-feet-3-inches tall and has a reach of 65.5 inches. He’s has average power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 46.7 per cent. His biggest wins have been against Kazuto Ioka, Juan Carlos Reveco, Edgar Sosa, Raul Garcia, Carlos Velarde, Manuel Vargas and Erik Ramirez. Nietes was also the WBO Minimumweight Champion from September of 2007 to August, 2010 and defended it four times. He then defended his Light Flyweight Title nine times over a five-year span.
Nietes had basically had a hall of fame career, but outside of the Philippines he isn’t really well known and only started fighting in the US later in his career. His record in world title fights is 17-0-2 with 7 Kos and he’s gone 9-0-1 with 3 Kos against former, current, and future world champions. He hasn’t fought much on the road, but outside of his homeland he’s gone 10-1-1 with 3 Kos and this is his second straight fight in Dubai.
The former champ has also won some minor and regional titles as a pro including the Philippines Boxing Federation Light Flyweight Title, the WBO Asia Pacific Minimumweight Title and the WBO Inter-Continental Flyweight Title. He is one of just four Asian boxers to win world championships in four or more weight divisions and one of three Filipino boxers to achieve the feat along with Nonito Donaire and Manny Paquiao. Also, his 14 world title defences is a record for a Filipino.
Jiminez is a 30-year-old who holds a record of 30-9-5 with 16 Kos and he’s been stopped four times himself. He’s boxed 220 rounds since making his pro debut in 2010 and has a won, loss and draw in his last three tilts. Jiminez stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 68-inch reach which gives him a three-inch edge in height and 2.5-inch advantage in reach over Nietes. His power is below average as his knockout ratio currently stands at 36.4 per cent.
Jiminez should be given credit for sticking with boxing as he lost first four pro fights and seven of his first eight and was stopped four times, by Oscauris Frias, Juan Carlos Payano, Carlos Reyes and Juan Pichzardo. He was thrown into the deep end right from the start of his career and was then beaten by Ruben Vicente in 2011 and Khalid Yafai by unanimous decision in 2019 in a shot at the WBA Super Flyweight Title.
This means Jiminez went on a 29-fight unbeaten streak from 2011 and 2019 with a few draws thrown in the mix. Along the way he’s captured the interim WBC FECARBOX, WBA Fedecentro, and WBA Fedelatin, and Dominican Republic Super Flyweight Titles. He also fought to a draw with Kohei Kono in 2014 in a shot at the WBA World Title. He’s fought just four times outside of his homeland and this will also be his second bout in Dubai.
Prediction…
There’s no doubt Nietes is nearing the end of his career and he hasn’t been as dominant as usual in his last couple of fights with his split decision win over Ioka in 2018 being his last masterpiece. He’s still hoping to land one more world title shot and will need to get past Jiminez first. Don’t be fooled by Jiminez’s record as he’s lost just twice in the last eight years and hasn’t been stopped in a decade. It’s hard to tell when Father Time will catch up with Nietes but as long as it’s not this weekend he should still possess the skill and experience to get past Jiminez.
Niete’s experience should pull him through.
Play Nietes -1000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Donnie Nietes betting • Norbelto Jiminez betting