Donaire makes surprise return for WBA interim title shot on June 14
Nonito Donaire Jr. | Photo from Donaire’s Facebook
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Filipino boxing legend Nonito “The Flash” Donaire Jr. is gunning to reassert himself as a world champion.
The 42-year-old former four-division world champion is set to face Chile’s Andres Campos for the interim WBA bantamweight title on June 14 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The bout marks Donaire’s first fight since a unanimous decision loss to Alexandro Santiago in July 2023. That followed a 2022 knockout defeat to Naoya Inoue, the first time in his career he’s suffered back-to-back losses.
Donaire’s comeback fight will be part of WBA’s “KO to Drugs” festival, with events held at Casino Buenos Aires. Donaire will also appear as a celebrity guest at the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s induction weekend shortly before the fight.
He will face a younger Campos, who is only 28-years-old, with a commendable 17 wins, six knockouts laced with two defeats and one draw in his resume. Campos isn’t new fighting for a world title despite his relatively younger pro record after fighting and losing to Sunny Edwards for the IBF flyweight title in 2024.
Contrastingly, Donaire’s record eclipsed Campos’s. The United States-based Boholano boxer has a 42-8 (win-loss) record with 28 knockouts and soon-to-be Hall of Fame inductee.
Donaire’s comeback fight came as a surprise after he followed suit fellow Filipino and boxing’s only eight-division world champion, Manny Pacquiao who is also slated to fight WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Although many believed Donaire has already retired, it’s quite a surprising announcement that one of the Filipino greats in boxing is making a comeback.
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