Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire (L) knocks out French boxer Nordine Oubaali (R) during the Bantamweight World Championship boxing match at Dignity Health Sports Park on May 29, 2021 in Carson, California. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — For Nonito Donaire, age is just a number.
The 38-year-old proved he’s still going strong and be as dominant as ever when he knocked out France’s Nordine Oubaali to claim the WBC world bantamweight title Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California,
Oubaali and Donaire were on different paths with the 34-year-old Frenchman carrying a perfect 17-0 record heading into the fight while the Filipino was coming off a unanimous decision loss to Naoya Inoue in 2019.
Despite that, Donaire displayed the kind of potent offense that made him the Fighter of the Year in 2012.
“Age is a number. An 80-year-old can be in a wheelchair or can be running marathons. health is wealth. Period…and the story continues,” wrote Donaire on Facebook after the bout.
Oubaali, who’s never touched the canvas in his career, was dropped twice in the third round and Donaire carried that momentum into the fourth round.
Donaire blasted Oubaali with left hooks in the fourth before pinning him to the ropes and sending him down with a three-punch combination prompting referee Jack Reiss to stop the match 1:52 into the round.
The victory further broke Donaire’s own record of being the oldest bantamweight champion, a feat he set in November 2018 when he defeated Ryan Burnett for the WBA (Super) belt two days after he turned 36-years-old.
“Odds were against us, like they always are. Doubters waiting in the wings. But your faith in pushed me through. I love you all,” wrote Donaire.