Red Alert: Snake Bite Cases on the Rise in the Minimumweight

Let me guess, you're staring at the picture right now trying to figure out who is that guy with a snake around his body.

Well, he is no snake charmer from Egypt. Neither is he a representative from the WWF or the World Wildlife Fund.  

He is actually a boxer fighting out of the famous ALA gym in Cebu City, Philippines.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present to you the reigning WBO minimumweight champion of the world, Donnie "Ahas" Nietes.

The word "Ahas" is a filipino word which means snake in english. I don't know the snake's real name, but I do know that it is Donnie's pet python.

True to his moniker, Donnie's fighting style is indeed similar to that of a snake. He doesn't slug it out immediately like Ricky Hatton, nor does he relentlessly attack like Manny Pacquiao.

On the surface, it may seem that he is just a mediocre boxer as he moves in a very ordinary way. However, as the fight goes on, you will soon realize that he was just making the necessary preparations for the ultimate attack.

Donnie is actually a very intelligent and patient warrior who would first study his opponents to determine their weak points. The moment he finds a chink in their armor, he would then bombard them with venomous punches.

With this style of fighting, he has already compiled an impressive professional record of 24 wins, with 14 by way of knockout, along with one loss and three draws.

Not much of Donnie's fights were covered by the media for it was only in 2007 when he earned national recognition by winning against the then undefeated Pornsawarn Kratingdaeggym for the WBO minimumweight title.

He then successfully defended his belt last August 2008 by knocking out Nicaraguan Eddy Castro in the second round.

Recently, he defended his title for the second time by winning a unanimous decision against Mexican Erik Ramirez, scoring four knockdowns in the process. That feat catapulted him into the limelight of Philippine boxing for he did what many other famous Filipino boxers was never able to do, win against a Mexican in Mexico.    

After his victory in Mexico, Donnie has expressly stated his desire to move up in weight and have a match with either IBF light flyweight champion Ulises Solis or WBO light flyweight champion and the current No. 10 in the pound for pound list, Ivan Calderon.

So, who will the snake bite next?

Only time will tell, but by now I'm sure both Solis and Calderon are already consulting their doctors about antidotes for venom.