SPORTS SHORTS 106: NONITO DONAIRE VS. NORDINE OUBAALI HEADLINES SHOWTIME TRIPLEHEADER ON MAY 29
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 17 Apr 2021
Following several postponements, Nonito Donaire and Nordine Oubaali are scheduled to meet again atop the ring. The WBC world bantamweight title fight is now right on track, and is slated to headline a Showtime Championship Boxing tripleheader May 29.
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However, the venue was not yet finalized in Showtime’s press release, but it is expected to be announced within a few days. It was earlier reported by Dan Rafael of ESPN that the pair will meet in Los Angeles, California.
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Oubaali (17-0, 12 KOs), age 34 years of Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France will attempt the third defense of the title since winning the belt in a 12-round unanimous decision over Rau’Shee Warren of Cincinnati, Ohio in Jan. 2019.
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Oubaali, a southpaw, and a two-time Olympian who represented France in 2008 Beijing and 2012 London last fought and scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Takuma Inoue, younger brother of world's rated pound-for-pound fighter Naoya Inoue, on November 9, 2019, at Saitama Arena in Saitama, Japan.
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On the same event, Donaire (40-6, 26KOs), former four-division world champion, fought gallantly against Naoya Inoue during their World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) bantamweight finals.
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Before that fight, Donaire won a 4th round injury stoppage of Ryan Burnett of Belfast, Northern Ireland to win a second bantamweight title in November 3, 2018 at The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland.
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The Oubaali-Donaire fight has been rescheduled on its third assigned date. It was originally ordered by the WBC to happen on December 19 at the Mohegan Sun Arena but Oubaali was tested positive with Covid-19 and the fight was postponed.
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Donaire was slated to fight former IBF bantamweight world champion Emmanuel Rodriguez of Manatí, Puerto Rico, who replaced Oubaali on short notice, for the vacant title on December 19.
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But Donaire was also tested positive for Covid-19 and he was replaced by Reymart Gaballo of Polomolok, South Cotabato. Rodriguez then lost a disputed split decision for the vacant interim WBC bantamweight title.
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Oubaali was arranged to fight former flyweight world title challenger Nawaphon Kaikanha of Sikhio District, Thailand, on March 13 in Paris. But again due to pandemic concerns and travel restrictions it was cancelled.
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So Oubaali and Donaire will proceed with their fight to be finalized and agreed with Showtime on resetting the fight for this May 29.
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Donaire will attempt to win his third bantamweight title. The 38-year-old Talibon, Bohol-born fighter has won major titles at flyweight, bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight in 18 years of his colorful pro career.
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In the same event, Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias (16-1, 16 KOs) returns to the network action in a junior welterweight title eliminator versus Kazakhstan’s Batyzhan Jukembayev (18-0, 14KOs).
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The winner will face the victor in the other semifinal eliminator between England’s Lewis Ritson (21-1, 12KOs) and Argentina’s Jeremias Ponce (27-0, 17KOs).
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The last undefeated fighter will challenge the IBF junior welterweight title currently held by Josh Taylor, also the WBA champion who will face the unified WBC/WBO champion Jose Ramirez for the undisputed championship on May 22.
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It was also initially reported that the Oubaali-Donaire card will also include the WBC-mandated rematch between interim champ Reymart Gaballo (24-0, 20 KOs) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-2, 12 KOs).
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But this bout might not happen, though. Rodriguez’s manager says it’s going to happen, but MP Promotion’s president Sean Gibbons says its not.
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The Los Angeles Lakers received some good news that Anthony Davis has now been cleared to fully participate in on-court basketball games. Davis has been out for two months due to a calf strain and Achilles tendonosis. The team has been very careful in returning him, especially because of the danger of any Achilles injury.
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The Lakers have suffered without their big man, also since LeBron James was also injured the last few weeks due to a severely sprained ankle. The Lakers are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference. They are at risk of getting into the play-in instead of entering immediately into the playoffs.
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Starting the 2016 Rio Olympics, male boxers no longer have to wear protective headgear in competition, due to a ruling by the AIBA and the IOC that it contributes to greater concussion risk. Female athletes continued to wear the headgear, due to "lack of data" on the effectiveness of it on women boxers.
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The highest ranked Asian country in the all time Olympic boxing medal standings is Kazakhstan at No. 18 with 7 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze medals with total of 22 medals. Followed at second place by Thailand at No. 16 with 4-4-6, total 14. Uzbekistan is third at No. 18 with 4-2-8, total 14.
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Fourth is South Korea at No. 19 with 3-7-10, total 20. Fifth is China at No. 21 with 3-3-6, total 12. Sixth is North Korea at No. 26 with 2-3-3, total 8. Seventh is Japan at No. 28 with 2-0-3, total 5. Eight is Mongolia at No. 32 with 1-2-4, total 7. Ninth is Philippines at No. 46 with 0-2-3, total 5. Tenth is India at No. 64 with 0-0-2, total 2.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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