FILE – Nonito Donaire reacts after a third round knockout win over Reymart Gaballo for the WBC World Bantamweight Championship at Dignity Health Sports Park on December 11, 2021 in Carson, California. Harry How/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines—At 40 years old, Nonito Donaire won’t be getting that many opportunities at a world title as he did before when he was younger.
The hunger to win, however, remains the same for Donaire, who is hellbent on regaining his world champion status next month against Mexico’s Alexandro Santiago.
“I’m coming to the ring on July 15 to take that belt home and there’s no second option for me,” said Donaire, a four-division champion, on boxingscene.com.
“I’m thankful to my team for this opportunity and I’ve been training hard to make the most of it. 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.”
Donaire (42-7, 28KOs) and Santiago (27-3-5, 14KOs) dispute the vacant WBC bantamweight title at The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas with “The Filipino Flash” going for a fourth reign at 118 pounds.
He is also hoping to redeem himself after his last bout ended with a second round knockout at the hands of Naoya Inoue in their unification rematch in June of last year.
Santiago, meanwhile, is eyeing his first world title. He almost had one in 2018 when he nearly pulled off an upset against Jerwin Ancajas for the IBF super flyweight crown in a fight that ended in a split draw.