In the world rankings announced by the WBA on April 30 (Japan time: May 1), former five-division world champion (including interim titles) Nonito Donaire of the Philippines (42 wins, 28 KOs, 8 losses) made a sudden appearance at No. 5 in the bantamweight division. It has now been confirmed that Donaire’s comeback fight will take place on June 14 (Japan time: June 15) at Casino Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of the WBA “KO to Drugs” Festival.
While local media in Argentina had already reported that Donaire’s return would be held in the country, the selection of his opponent had faced delays. Now, the matchup has finally been finalized.
Luciano Francisco Baldor of Argentina (21 wins, 1 KO, 4 losses), who was newly ranked No. 15 in the WBA bantamweight division at the same time, was considered the leading candidate to face Donaire. However, he withdrew due to injury. Other potential opponents from Argentina and Latin America were also considered, but none were deemed suitable. Eventually, a match was set against Andrés Campos of Chile (17 wins, 6 KOs, 2 losses, 1 draw).
According to Argentina’s Planeta Boxing Radio, the 12-round bantamweight bout between Donaire and Campos will be contested for the WBA Bantamweight Gold World Title.
In the WBA bantamweight division, Seiya Tsutsumi (12 wins, 8 KOs, 3 draws, undefeated) of Kadoebi Jewel Gym, who held the Regular champion title, has undergone eye surgery and is unable to compete in a unification bout with Interim champion Antonio Vargas (USA, 19 wins, 11 KOs, 1 loss, 1 no contest). As a result, the WBA officially designated Tsutsumi as a “champion in recess” as of May 17 (Japan time: May 18), and Vargas has been elevated to Regular champion.
With this development, the Interim title is now vacant, and there is a possibility that the Donaire vs. Campos bout will be designated as a title match to determine a new Interim champion—something that has become common across multiple divisions.
The 42-year-old Donaire has not fought since suffering a unanimous decision loss to Alexandro Santiago (Mexico, 28 wins, 14 KOs, 5 losses, 5 draws) in a WBC bantamweight world title bout held on July 29, 2023 (Japan time: July 30) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
However, Donaire attended the WBA Convention and expressed his strong desire to reclaim a world title, actively appealing to be ranked again. His appeal proved successful, as he was dramatically inserted into the rankings at No. 5—reflecting not only his determination but also the promotional interest in leveraging his name recognition.
Moreover, upon hearing that Naoya Inoue, the undisputed super bantamweight world champion, had publicly challenged WBC bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (M.T Gym) during the 2024 Japan Boxing Annual Awards on March 31—saying, “Let’s energize Japanese boxing at the Tokyo Dome one year from now”—Donaire responded with a direct message to Nakatani: “Fight me before you fight Inoue!” Donaire has openly declared his ambition, saying, “I want to beat Nakatani and fight Inoue once again.”
Although all four major bantamweight world titles are currently held by Japanese fighters, it is unlikely that Donaire will be able to challenge any of them immediately. First, he will need to secure a victory in his comeback fight and capture a WBA-designated title—either the Interim or Gold belt—as a prerequisite.
The 28-year-old Campos, who will face Donaire, challenged then-IBF World Flyweight Champion Sunny Edwards (UK, 21 wins, 4 KOs, 2 losses) on June 10, 2023 (Japan time: June 11) at the OVO Arena Wembley in London. However, he suffered his first professional loss via unanimous decision (111-117 ×3) after 12 rounds.
In October of the same year, he traveled to Cancún, Mexico, where he faced Joselito Velázquez (Mexico, 21 wins, 13 KOs, 1 loss, 1 draw), who was ranked No. 6 by both the WBO at super flyweight and the WBC at flyweight, as well as No. 9 by the IBF. Campos was defeated by sixth-round TKO. In April this year, he returned to the ring in his home country and secured a third-round TKO victory over Jimson Garcia (Venezuela, 12 wins, 7 KOs, 8 losses, 1 draw), marking a successful comeback.
Now, at 42 years old and coming off two consecutive world title losses, Donaire enters the ring for the first time in nearly 23 months. The question remains: how prepared will he be, and how much does he have left in the tank? Some fans and boxing insiders, having watched his loss to Santiago, had already suggested retirement. Campos, who has never fought at the 118-pound bantamweight limit, may be considered an ideal test opponent—but the outcome is far from certain.
Personally, I’m hoping for Donaire’s successful comeback!
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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