AS THE saying goes, a win is a win, regardless of how it happens. Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. has reclaimed his status as a world champion following his highly awaited comeback victory.
It may not have been the most glamorous path to victory, but what matters is that the Filipino boxing icon has reclaimed world title status. This marked his return to the ring after a layoff in 2023.
The 42-year-old Donaire captured the World Boxing Association interim bantamweight title through a technical decision win over Chilean boxer Andres Campos yesterday at Casino Buenos Aires in Argentina.
What Happened?
In the ninth round, the bout was halted when Donaire was unable to continue due to a cut on his right eye caused by an accidental clash of heads. This led officials to refer to the judges’ scorecards.
Photo Courtesy: @wbaboxingofficial | Instagram
All three judges favored Donaire with scores of 88-83, 87-84, and 87-84, resulting in an abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying conclusion to his return, following his defeat to Alexandro Santiago in July 2023.
The outcome was reminiscent of the controversial clash between Filipino boxer Charly Suarez and Mexican champion Emanuel Navarrete, though this time, the headbutt on Donaire was clear.
With this win, the pride of Bohol now holds a record of 43 wins (28 by knockout) and 8 losses. He joins fellow Filipino minimumweight champions Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran as the country’s current world titleholders.
On the other side, the 28-year-old Campos fell to a record of 17 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw, including 6 knockouts. Donaire was given this title opportunity despite back-to-back defeats, including a 2022 knockout loss to pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue.
Following that, Donaire attempted to reclaim the WBC bantamweight title that Inoue vacated when he moved up in weight, but he dropped a unanimous decision to Mexico’s Alejandro Santiago in 2023.
Donaire made history back in 2021 when he knocked out Nordine Oubaali at age 38, becoming the oldest fighter to win a world bantamweight title.
Throughout his storied career, Donaire has held championships across four divisions: flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight.
