After Pacman, Nonito Donaire also set for ring return in Buenos Aires

June 7 ------ If Manny Pacquiao can come back into the ring at 46 years old, so will Filipino boxing great Nonito Donaire. At 42 years old, the Filipino Flash, a four-division world champion, aims to become a world champion once more when he takes on Andres Campos of Chile for the interim World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight strap on June 14.

The bout, scheduled for 12 rounds, is part of the annual WBA KO to Drugs festival at Casino Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Donaire making a comeback against a younger foe after an almost two-year hiatus. Donaire last saw action atop the ring back in July 2023 when he lost to Alejandro Santiago for the then vacant WBC bantamweight crown. The loss came a year after Donaire's second round technical knockout loss in his rematch against Naoya Inoue in June 2022.

Like in his previous bouts that made him the oldest to ever hold a belt in his division, Donaire hopes to turn back the clock just like what he did when he stopped Ryan Burnett for the WBA belt two weeks before he turned 36. He then beat his own feat when he won via fourth round stoppage against Nordine Oubali in 2021 when he was still 38 years old.

Donaire now has the chance to reset that at 42 years old though he needs to get past Campos for the interim tag which will line him up for a title consolidation clash against Antonio Vargas who was elevated to full WBA titleholder after Seiya Tsutsumi was downgraded to a champion in recess and having previously won the interim version last year. Campos, a 28-year-old orthodox, though should not be a pushover, boasting a 17-2-1 record with six knockouts. Donaire, on the other hand, 42-8 with 28 KOs.

Source: mb.com.ph