Donnie Nietes vs Kazuto Ioka likely for Dec. 31

According to ESPN, a deal is in place for a Dec. 31 fight in Macau between Donnie Nietes and Kazuto Ioka, as the two would each be seeking a world title in a fourth weight class at 115 pounds, with the vacant WBO super flyweight title on the line.

Nietes (41-1-5, 23 KO) is coming off of a draw with Aston Palicte on Sept. 8, on HBO’s “Superfly 3” card, in a fight pretty much everyone but the official judges believed Nietes won. The 36-year-old Filipino has won world titles at 105, 108, and 112, and really should already be a four-division champion, but he was flat robbed against Palicte, whose request for a rematch was denied by the WBO.

Ioka (23-1, 13 KO) fought on that same Sept. 8 card, and has also won world titles at 105, 108, and 112. The 29-year-old Japanese star ended a 17-month retirement when he beat McWilliams Arroyo in September, a pretty tough opponent for a comeback bout after a long layoff, and an impressive performance by Ioka.