Boxing
As Manny Pacquiao prepares to fight, another Filipino legend returns in Buenos Aires this weekend
Subscribe now to watch over 185 fights a year
Former world champion Nonito Donaire returns this weekend after two years to headline a show in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The ‘Filipino Flash’, 42-8 (28), will face Andres Campos, 17-2-1 (6), in a twelve-round fight at the Casino Buenos Aires in the Argentine capital. The bout will mark Donaire’s first fight since losing a unanimous decision to Alexandro Santiago for the WBC world bantamweight championship in July 2023.
Donaire comes into the bout at 42 years old and having lost his last two fights, to Santiago in 2023 and to Naoya Inoue in 2022. The latter of those two was for the IBF and WBC bantamweight championships. Donaire, who had lost a unanimous decision to Inoue in 2019 over twelve rounds, was stopped in two in the rematch.
Now, like fellow countryman Manny Pacquiao, who returns in a few weeks, Donaire is fighting once more in his 40s.
In a career that began over twenty-four years ago, Donaire has held nine world titles and around fifteen years ago was considered one of the best fighters in the world.
However, his stock began to drop towards the end of his career with, alongside the losses to Santiago and Inoue, fights lost to Carl Frampton and Jessie Magdaleno. Inoue was also stopped in six rounds in 2014 by Nicholas Walters.
In contrast, opponent Campos also comes into the bout after winning two of his last four. In April, he stopped Jimson Garcia in three rounds and in he won by knockout in Australia against Ben Ligas in 2023. Intertwined with those two wins was a draw against Edinson Martinez in May last year and a loss last October by stoppage to Joselito Velazquez.
Perhaps the most-notable name on Campos’s record is that of Sunny Edwards, who decisioned him over twelve rounds in June 2023 at Wembley Arena.
