Donnie Nietes vs. Carlos Velarde: Fight Time, Date, TV Info, More

Donnie Nietes (33-1-4, 19 KO) will put his WBO light flyweight title on the line against Carlos Velarde (26-3-1, 14 KO) on Saturday at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino in the Philippines. The proud Filipino champion will be defending his title for the fifth and perhaps final time.

He has indicated that he has plans to move up to flyweight after the bout, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. If he wins, he will vacate the title. If he loses, the 24-year-old Velarde will have the biggest win of his career and the momentum to begin his own reign.

This bout will be part of a mildly entertaining day of fights with heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko defending his plethora of titles on a separate card. Here's how you can catch Nietes' light flyweight farewell bout.

When: Saturday at 11 p.m. ET

Where: Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines

TV: beIN Sports Espanol

The Book on Nietes

Nietes has been dominant in his career. He's the reigning WBO light flyweight champion, and he hasn't lost a fight in 10 years. He drew with Moises Fuentes in March 2013 but left no doubt in the rematch in May. Nietes stopped Fuentes in the ninth round to set up this bout and a move up to flyweight.

At 32 years old, Fuentes is having increasing issues making the light flyweight limit of 108 pounds, and he's looking to become a world champion in his third weight class. No matter what happens against Velarde on Saturday night, Nietes is likely going to begin pursuit of that goal in his next fight.

Big-time fighters and pound-for-pound contenders like Roman Gonzalez and Juan Estrada await him at 112 pounds. With them comes the potential for bigger paydays, which is not a given at the smaller weight classes. 

It's easy to see he has his eyes on the biggest prizes.

Will he be leaving the light flyweight division as a champion who is vacating his title, or will Velarde send him out a loser?

The Book on Velarde

Hailing from Culiacan, Mexico, the town that produced Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Velarde aims to continue the great tradition of the city. Up to now, he's done pretty well, though he failed in his previous attempt to win a world title.

Back in May 2013, Velarde traveled to Osaka, Japan, to challenge former WBA minimumweight champion Ryo Miyazaki for his title. Velarde was viciously stopped in the fifth by a dastardly left hook. The bout was competitive up to that point, but Velarde was rendered unconscious by a expertly placed counterpunch. The KO happens around the 14:55 mark of the video below.

The cards were even through four rounds, per BoxRec. Since then, Velarde has won three straight. 

Most recently, he captured a split decision over Jose Argumedo in May to set up his title shot. Now his second attempt at a world title sees him on the road in a champion's backyard again. Could it be that Velarde's first shot at a world title came before he was ready? We'll find out if he has the goods to win a tough battle behind enemy lines on Saturday.

Prediction

Stylistically, Velarde's come-forward style plays into Nietes' hands. The champion likes to slip and counter with power shots in tight exchanges. He looks to set opponents up with feints and head movement so that they will commit to a punch that puts them in range for a powerful counter.

By employing a rangy jab, Nietes is also able to keep opponents off balance. When he's able to control tempo, he's awfully tough to beat.

Velarde is charged with making the champion uncomfortable. The only problem is, he's a plodder with slow feet. He's a fundamentally sound puncher who won't get wild, but the question is: Can he wear Nietes down with pressure and body punches?

The champion is likely to rehydrate up a good number of pounds as he prepares to transition to flyweight. Nietes has proven he possesses the power to put an opponent's lights out as well.

He stopped Sammy Gutierrez with one shot in Nov. 2013. 

Velarde does have a good chin despite the way he was folded up by Miyazaki. He got caught with a perfect left hook and went to sleep. Nietes won't get the highlight-reel KO, but he will earn a mid- to late-round TKO victory before he vacates the title.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.