Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. will shoot for his ninth world title when he challenges reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight champion Nordine Oubaali on May 29 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Despite his age, the 38-year-old fighter from Talibon, Bohol expressed full confidence saying he doesn’t feel old and weak, having been a boxer for the last two decades.
“I am very, very confident and very, very excited,” said Donaire, who won titles in four different weights. “It’s been a very long time from the pandemic to canceling my last fight, and now all that, it’s finally happening so I have to be careful so nothing goes bad.”
He was supposed to fight the French champion summer last year but was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He was also all set to fight Puerto Rican Emmanuel Rodriguez for the vacant WBC interim bantamweight belt last December 19 but submitted a “false positive” virus test.
For Donaire (40-6 win-loss record with 26 knockouts), those misfortunes belong to the past.
“I am always very, very disciplined. I always stay in the gym,” he said.
Donaire, who trains at the Givans Taekwondo Academy in Las Vegas with MMA star Tony Diaz, Michael Bassel and wife Rachel in his corner, said he learned a lot from his fight with International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue in November 2019.
Donaire said he lost his killer instinct in the latter rounds and lost via unanimous decision.
“The more you are here in boxing and you get old, you need to develop your killer instinct. That’s what I need to develop more. I just came up short but I am okay with my performance so far,” Donaire added. “Now I am doing it for myself only and not for anybody else. No pressure on this one is for me.”
Oubaali, who also last fought in November 2019 beating Inoue’s brother Takuma via unanimous decision, is unscathed in 17 fights with 12 knockouts. He is four years younger than Donaire at 34.