SPORTSCLOPEDIA 66: NONITO DONAIRE SHOOTS FOR TITLE AGAINST ALEXANDRO SANTIAGO ON JULY 15
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 10 Jul 2023
The WBC world bantamweight championship between former four-weight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. and Alexandro Santiago is scheduled on July 15 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 40-year-old Donaire will seek to break his own boxing record as the oldest world bantamweight champion in history when he faces Santiago for the WBC title, which was vacated by his arch nemesis Naoya Inoue earlier this year.
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Donaire has a career record of 42-7 with 28 knockouts, last fought on June 7, 2022 in a rematch against Naoya Inoue in Saitama, Japan where he was stopped in round two.
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On May 29, 2021, Donaire dethroned Nordine Oubaali to win the WBC bantamweight title in Carson, California. Donaire floored Oubaali twice in the third round before finishing the bout in the fourth round. The referee waived off the count declaring Donaire the winner and crowning him as the oldest fighter to win a world title in the bantamweight division at age 38.
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Santiago, 27, who turned pro in October 2012, went the distance and got a draw with former IBF world super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas on September 28, 2018. He is 27-3-5 with 14 knockouts as a boxer and is currently on a three-fight winning streak.
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Donaire had been the IBF/IBO flyweight, interim WBA superflyweight, WBC/WBO bantamweight and WBO super bantamweight champion. He was also the Ring magazine and lineal super bantamweight title holder.
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Born in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, Santiago is undefeated in 22 of his last 23 fights since 2015, and his only loss was by a majority decision to Gary Antonio Russell.
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Santiago was knocked down by Hector Calixto in losing a six-round decision in 2013 but has never been stopped. His fight with then IBF superflyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas which resulted in a split draw was his only fight for a world title.
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Donaire was inactive since losing to Inoue last year and despite the hiatus, he has maintained his body in shape with his Spartan training. He focuses on regaining the WBC title.
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Chris Paul, nicknamed "CP3", has signed with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is considered by many fans as one of the greatest point guards of all time. Paul has won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award (2006), an NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award (2013), two Olympic gold medals (2008 Beijing and 2012 London) and led the NBA in assists five times and steals a record six times.
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Paul has also been selected to twelve NBA All-Star teams, eleven All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams. In 2021, he was listed in the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He was also elected president of the National Basketball Players Association from 2013 to 2021.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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