WBO schedules purse bid for Nietes-Palicte rematch

With the sides unable to reach an agreement, the WBO has scheduled a Feb. 28 purse bid for a super flyweight title rematch between Donnie Nietes and Aston Palicte.

Nietes (42-1-5, 23 KO) and Palicte (25-2-1, 21 KO) fought to a controversial draw last September on HBO, with most observers feeling that Nietes had done enough to earn the win. The vacant WBO title was on the line that evening, and remained vacant until Dec. 31, when Nietes beat Kazuto Ioka in Macau to claim the belt.

The win made Nietes a world champion at 115 pounds, after previously claiming titles at 105, 108, and 112.

Palicte wasn’t totally left out in the cold by the WBO, though, as he was given an eliminator fight on Jan. 31 against Puerto Rico’s Jose Martinez. Palicte knocked Martinez out in the second round to earn another shot at the belt, and another shot at Nietes.