By J. Jala | 01:44 PM May 30, 2021
Bohol’s Nonito “The Flash” Donaire Jr has reclaimed the WBC bantamweight after he knocked down Nordine Oubaali on Saturday (Sunday in Philippines) in Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson, California presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
Donaire shocked the boxing world again and defied time, breaking his own record to become the oldest fighter in history to win the bantamweight belt by stopping Nordine Oubaali at 1:52 of the fourth round.
Donaire (41-6, 27 knockouts) had not fought in 18 months, since his war against Naoya Inoue. Yet, Donaire showed no signs of corrosion. He knocked down Oubaali (17-1, 12 KOs) twice in the third round and ended the fight on the third knockdown with a devastating left uppercut. In winning, the future Hall of Famer broke his own record by becoming the oldest fighter to ever win a world bantamweight champion—38 years and 204 days old.
“The king has returned,” the Boholano boxing champion said.
“Being at this age is not the question, it’s about my performance. About my ability to grow. I believe it matters not what your age is but how you are mentally. How strong you are mentally. What I learned from the Inoue fight is that I’m back. I can still compete at this level. The whole time I was not fighting, I was learning. I’m ready for the next one,” he added.
Donaire plans to have a rematch with Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue, three-weight world champion and currently a unified bantamweight world champion.
“This is why I wanted to win this fight. Unification is my next goal. The only thing I haven’t accomplished in boxing is becoming undisputed. That is my goal. The next phase is the rematch (with Inoue), ” he said.