IN the twilight of his illustrious career, Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. is hell bent on achieving ring glory anew when he battles young Mexican slugger Alexandro Santiago on July 15 (July 16 in Manila) for the vacant World Boxing Council bantamweight crown at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.
“I’m coming to the ring on July 15 to take that belt home and there’s no second option for me,” Donaire said in an interview posted yesterday on the website boxingscene.com.
“I’m thankful to my team for this opportunity and I’ve been training hard to make the most of it,” added Donaire, 40, who is bidding to be the oldest world bantamweight champ anew when he faces Santiago, 27.
With a record of 48 wins, 27 by knockout, and seven losses, the “Filipino Flash” will try to recapture the crown he won from erstwhile unbeaten defending champ Nourdine Oubaali of France with a fourth-round knockout at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson City, California two years ago.
“I’ve brought in some really fast fighters who have helped me prepare, and my team has really focused on giving me some defensive pointers. I’m ahead of schedule right now and I can’t wait to get in there,” said the eager Pinoy boxer, who hasn’t fought in over year.
The last time he fought, Donaire suffered a second-round technical knockout loss at the hands of Japanese Naoya “The Monster” Inoue in their unification world bantamweight title fight on June 7, 2022 at the Saitama Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Having beaten all possible rivals in the division, Inoue has moved up in weight since then while Donaire cooled his heels and considered possible retirement until the latest opportunity came along.
A native of Tijuana, Mexico, Santiago sports a record of 27 wins (14 KOs), three draws and five losses.
In his second crack at a world title, the 5-foot-2 Mexican has won his last three fights, the latest in Oct. 9 last year when he forced American Antonio Nieves to retire in the seventh round at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, California.
He fought then reigning International Boxing Federation junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas to a draw five years ago at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
Santiago was undaunted by the reputation of his Filipino rival, saying: “I would like to thank my whole team for this amazing opportunity. It has been a long time coming.
“I have been waiting for another world title opportunity since my draw with Ancajas. Camp has been great and I’m working extremely hard. It is also a great honor to be able to share the ring with one of the greatest of my generation, Nonito Donaire. However, this is my time to shine.”
