By Ronnie Nathanielsz

The much awaited bid of WBO light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes to face WBO/WBA champion Juan Francisco Estrada has been postponed for next year.

The planned September 24 clash at the StubHub Center in Carson City, California between two of the top fighters in the lower weight divisions where Nietes is the longest-reigning Filipino world champion, had to be postponed after Estrada’s promoter Fernando Beltran informed ALA president Michael Aldeguer that he had received a letter from the World Boxing Association that Estrada had to defend his title against mandatory challenger and reigning WBA flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka of Japan.

Aldeguer said negotiations for a super fight between Nietes and Estrada will definitely be undertaken next year.

The postponement came after Ioka scored an impressive 11th round knockout win over Nicaragua’s Keyvin Lara after dropping the young challenger twice in the 11th round with the referee calling a halt at 1:11 of the round in Osaka, Japan.

Lara led on the scorecards of Glen Feldman of the US 40-36 and Jan Christensen of Denmark 39-37 while Pinit Prayadsab of Thailand had Ioka ahead 39-37.

Hall of Fame boxing writer and matchmaker Joe Koizumi reported that Ioka swept all the rounds f rom the 5th up to the 11th on the scorecards of all three judges.

Ioka dropped Lara in the 10th round with a solid right counter and followed through with a series of accurate combinations and dropped Lara who was saved by the bell after he beat the count.