Donnie Nietes Stops Velarde To Retain WBO Crown

CEBU, Philippines — Hometown star Donnie Nietes retained the WBO junior flyweight title for a fifth time after beating Mexican challenger Carlos Velarde by technical knockout in the eighth round. Nietes slowly built a lead with a hometown crowd cheering him on.

The fight changed after an accidental clash of heads at the end of the seventh round opened a cut above Velarde's left eyebrow. His corner was unable to keep the cut under control, and conceded the fight late Saturday at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in the central city of Cebu.

Nietes, who won the belt in 2011, improved to 34-1 with 20 knockouts. Velarde slumped to 26-4 with 14 KOs.