On June 14 (June 15 Japan time), at Casino Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a bout was held for the WBA Interim World Bantamweight Title. In the fight, 42-year-old former five-division world champion (including interim titles) and No. 5-ranked Nonito Donaire of the Philippines (43 wins, 28 KOs, 8 losses) defeated No. 8-ranked Andrés Campos of Chile (17 wins, 6 KOs, 3 losses, 1 draw) via technical decision in the 9th round due to an injury, capturing the interim title.
After claiming the WBA championship belt, Donaire said in an interview with the media this week, “At the moment, I have no plans in my head. Right now, I just need to rest and be thankful for my health,” making it clear that he has no plans to fight in the near future.
After suffering two consecutive losses, Nonito Donaire returned to the ring for the first time in approximately 1 year and 11 months. His comeback fight took place as part of the WBA’s “KO to Drugs” festival, a program promoted by the WBA and supported by Argentina — the host country — and promoter Sampson Lewkowicz (originally from Uruguay, currently based in the U.S.), who once guided Sergio Martínez to a world title.
Originally, Donaire was scheduled to face Luciano Francisco Baldor of Argentina (21 wins, 1 KO, 4 losses), who had earned a majority decision victory (97-93, 97-93, 95-95) over former WBA world bantamweight No. 11 Michel Banquez (Venezuela) on March 29 (March 30 Japan time) in Buenos Aires, and subsequently entered the rankings at No. 15. However, Baldor withdrew due to injury.
With no suitable replacement found for a while, former world flyweight title challenger Andrés Campos — who had moved up from flyweight to super flyweight and held a record of 1 win and 1 loss in that span — was selected as the opponent. He was newly ranked in preparation for this fight.
In the match, Donaire, with advantages in height and reach, showcased his power while Campos tried to stay mobile, using his jab and aiming with his right straight. Donaire, however, landed more punches and effective blows, taking the upper hand heading into the 9th round. An accidental head clash caused a cut above Donaire’s right eye. The bout was halted, and when Donaire complained of impaired vision in his right eye, the ringside doctor recommended to referee Luis Pabón (Puerto Rico) that the fight be stopped.
Referee Pabón accepted the doctor’s recommendation and stopped the fight. The decision went to the scorecards for a technical decision after the 9th round, with the judges scoring it as follows: Guillermo Pineda (Panama) 88–83, Ignacio Robles (Panama) 87–84, and José Roberto Torres (Puerto Rico) 87–84 — awarding the victory to Donaire.
Donaire unleashed his signature left hook, powerful left body shots, and landed right straights, but his accuracy was lacking, and he was unable to deliver a highlight moment for the crowd before the fight came to an end. With a solemn expression, he listened to the winner’s announcement and said, “I’m sorry that things turned out this way.”
At 42 years old and with time working against him, neither Donaire nor his wife Rachel — who served as his chief second in the Campos fight — seemed in a rush. “First, I have to go back to the basics and evaluate how I can do things better, what aspects of my style I need to improve. I’m extremely strict when it comes to taking care of my body. After that, I’ll think about the best path forward,” said Donaire.
In the WBA bantamweight division, former Regular Champion Seiya Tsutsumi (Kadoebi Boxing Gym) — undefeated with a record of 12 wins (8 KOs) and 3 draws — was designated as Champion in Recess due to an injury to his left eye. As a result, Antonio Vargas (USA), who won the interim title at the WBA convention bout in December last year, was elevated to Regular Champion. Vargas holds a record of 19 wins (11 KOs), 1 loss, and 1 no contest.
Vargas has signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. He is scheduled to defend his title on July 30 at Yokohama BUNTAI against former WBC Flyweight Champion and current WBA No. 3-ranked contender Daigo Higa (Shisei Boxing Gym), who has a record of 21 wins (19 KOs), 3 losses, and 2 draws. If all goes as expected, Donaire would likely face the winner of that bout, though the presence of Tsutsumi also complicates the title picture.
Meanwhile, unified WBC and IBF bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (M.T Boxing Gym), who boasts an undefeated record of 31 wins (24 KOs), has drawn interest from Donaire, who passionately declared, “Fight me before you fight Inoue!” Donaire has openly stated his ambition: “I want to beat Nakatani and fight Inoue again.”
What Donaire sees as the “best option” remains to be seen, but it appears a final decision may still take some time.
Nonito Donaire (Philippines) will likely determine his next move while keeping an eye on the situations of both WBA Champion in Recess Seiya Tsutsumi (Japan) and WBA Regular Champion Antonio Vargas (USA), as well as the schedule of unified WBC and IBF bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (Japan).
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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