Donaire follows Pacquiao path, guns for another world title

MANILA, Philippines — Nonito Donaire Jr., already in his forties like his fellow Filipino boxing great Manny Pacquiao, is taking another shot at glory.

Like Pacquiao, the 42-year-old Donaire will shoot for another world title against Chile’s Andres Campos for the WBA interim bantamweight crown at the Casino Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires, Argentina Sunday (Manila time).

Pacquiao himself is scheduled to challenge World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight beltholder Mario Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas, hoping to become world champion at 46.

Donaire (42-8, with 28 knockouts) might just beat Pacquiao to it. 

The former four-division world champion made the bantamweight limit of 118 lbs at the weigh-in ceremony Saturday , tipping the scales at 117.9 lbs.

Campos (17-2-1, 6 KOs), much younger at 28, weighed in at exactly 118 lbs.

Donaire has been granted a title shot despite losing his last two fights, including a knockout defeat to pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue in 2022.

In his next fight, he tried to regain the WBC bantamweight championship vacated by Inoue when the Japanese star moved up in weight. Donaire, however, lost a unanimous to Mexico’s Alejandro Santos in 2023.

Donaire already entered the record books in 2021 when, and at 38 years old, he knocked out Nordine Oubali to win the WBC bantamweight crown — becoming the oldest 118-lb fighter to do so.

It would be still be a huge accomplishment for Campos to add Donaire’s scalp to his record.

“It’s been very easy to get motivated for this fight. Nonito Donaire is my idol, and I grew up watching his fights, so it’s a dream to be given the opportunity to share a ring with him. There is a saying: 'Train so hard until your idols become your rivals,' and that’s exactly what has happened to me,” Campos said in a report by Lewis Campos of Yahoo! Sports Uncrowned.

Donaire has held titles at flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight and featherweight.