Donaire eyes oldest world bantam champ title as he fights Mexican boxer for WBC belt
Nonito Donaire (left) and Alexandro Santiago (right) make weight during the official weigh-in of their WBC world bantamweight title bout scheduled for Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in Las Vegas. | Photos from Showtime Boxing Twitter page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Former four division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. will try to prove that age is just merely a number as he guns to become the oldest bantamweight world champion tomorrow, Saturday (Sunday, Manila Time) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 40-year-old Donaire, one of the four Filipino boxers to win world titles in three or more weight classes will try to set a record as the oldest world champion in the bantamweight division.
READ: Donaire excited for WBC world bantamweight title showdown in Las Vegas vs Mexican foe
Donaire vs Santiago
He will fight a younger and equally world-title hungry Mexican Alexandro Santiago for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) world bantamweight title which previously held in 2022.
During the official weigh-in, Donaire Jr. displayed discipline and commitment by making the weight at 117.25 pounds, while Santiago stepped on the scales at 117.5 lbs, slightly lighter than the 118 lbs weight limit.
READ: Nonito Donaire still has what it takes to be a world champion again – Cebu boxing experts
Donaire mindset
In an interview on-stage after the weigh-in Donaire said that he’s in command of himself and his mindset whether he feels young or old.
“Life is creation, what you perceive in your mind will become. For me, whatever they say, you’re old already, when I say I’m old, I’m old, when I say I’m young, I’m young. I’m going in there as a young man, younger than this guy, I’m going out there and take that belt and beat that record,” said Donaire Jr.
Donaire Jr. who spent a huge portion of his training camp in Cebu has a record of 42 wins with 28 knockouts, with 7 losses.
READ: Cebu will always be a special place for Nonito Donaire
His most previous bout came up short when he got knocked out by Japanese boxing sensation Naoya Inoue last June 2022 in Japan where he lost the WBC world title.
Santiago
Meanwhile, Santiago, a one-time world title challenger sports a 27-3-5 (win-loss-draw) record with 14 knockouts. He is the current WBC International bantamweight champion and former Mexican super bantamweight champion.
Both boxers are orthodox, but Donaire is slightly taller and has a longer reach than Santiago. Donaire stands at 5-foot-5 with a reach of 174-centimeters. Santiago stands at 5-foot-2 with a reach of 166cm.
Their bout will serve as one of the undercard of Errol Spence-Terence Crawford world title unification showdown.
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