Frenchman Nordine Oubaali gave up his WBC bantamweight belt to Filipino Nonito Donaire, a big name in the small categories, who beat him by KO in the 4the round, Saturday May 29 in Carson, Calif. Oubaali, who concedes at 34 his first defeat in 18 fights, could not do anything against Donaire, who was champion in four different categories (flyweight, roosters, super-roosters and feathers) and recovers a title of which he was already in possession in 2011.
After two first rounds during which Oubaali was the most aggressive, managing to place his left hook, Donaire, as usual, took the fight to his account in 3e round. He first countered with a right jab the Frenchman who responded tac-au-tac, but found himself with both knees on the ground after a left hook from his opponent. Counted, but not yet sounded, Oubaali then went through hell when the Filipino pounced on him.
A terrible left uppercut just as the bell struck him down. Falling his head forward, barely cushioned by his arms deprived of strength, he could not have recovered. He succeeded, all shaky, and the referee wanted to give the defending champion a chance.
The 4e round was fatal: even if Oubaali managed to place a few blows to pride that hurt Donaire, instead of perhaps reassuring himself by procrastinating, the Filipino took the opportunity to again counter him from a right to the temple and a terrible uppercut which sent the French permanently to the mat.
“The King is back”
Sitting, head bowed, Donaire had to have his stool brought by his camp so that the doctor could sit him on it in order to recover it. During this time, to the cheers of a scattered public but all to his glory, the Filipino champion was exulting, hearing “The King is back” (the king is back) to arise, as he himself had promised.
And he has something. Already promised to enter the Boxing Hall of Fame, he who was, between 2007 and 2019, world champion in flyweight (IBF), roosters (WBC, WBO), super-roosters (IBF, WBO) and feathers (WBA) ), Donaire now has 41 wins (6 losses). Once again owner of the WBC roosters belt at 38, ten years after winning it for the first time, he has proven that his freshness, tone and punch remain intact, after 18 months without boxing because of the pandemic of Covid-19, which he contracted last December.
In doing so, Donaire paved the way for a rematch with the Japanese Naoya Inoue, N.1 in the category and holder of the WBA and IBF belts, who had beaten him at the end of 2019 in what had been considered by many specialists. noble art as one of the fights of the year.
This reunification of titles, Oubaali dreamed of. He had made it a supreme goal, he who had so far met all his challenges, starting with the conquest of his belt in Las Vegas against the American Rau’shee Warren in January 2019. Title he had retained against the Filipino Arthur Villanueva in Nur-Sultan, then against the Japanese Takuma Inoue in Saitama. This time the mountain was too high, his courage was not enough.