MANILA – The Filipino Flash Nonito Donaire Jr. was triumphant in his ring return after nearly two years to become the oldest world bantamweight champion (WBC) at the age of 38.
Donaire defied Father Time to stop Frenchman Nordine Oubaali in just four rounds and take home the latter’s WBC world bantamweight belt on Saturday (Sunday in the Philippines) at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
“The king has returned,” uttered the Talibon, Bohol-native Donaire. “I believe that it matters not what your age is; it matters how you are mentally, how strong you are mentally.”
Oubaali displayed his youth advantage in the early goings with quick hits on Donaire, but the Filipino fighter got his game going in the second round and unloaded multiple hits against the French boxer.
In the third round, Donaire targeted Oubaali’s body before sending him to the canvas for the first time with a left hook. Donaire did it again before the bell rang, and the Frenchman fell anew on a left hook.
Sensing that Oubaali is close to being done for the night, the Filipino Flash went for the kill in the fourth as he caught his foe in the corner before unleashing the finishing right uppercut.
Oubaali tried his best to defy the 10-second count, but referee Jack Reiss halted the bout with still a minute and 14 ticks left in the fourth round.
After the match, Donaire made it known that he wants a rematch with Japanese Naoya Inoue, the same fighter that decisioned him in Saitama, Japan, two years ago.
“What I learned from (a 2019 loss to Naoya) Inoue is I’m back. I knew I could compete with him, and I was not fighting, I was learning. I’m ready for the next one!” exclaimed Donaire.
“That’s why I wanted to win this fight because that’s my next goal,” he said on the rematch. “The only thing I haven’t done in boxing is to become undisputed, and the next phase is getting the rematch.”
With the victory, Donaire moved his boxing slate to 40-6-0 win-loss-draw and recorded his 27th stoppage victory, while the 34-year-old Oubaali dropped to a 17-1-0 card with 12 wins by knockout./PN
