Nonito Donaire rolled back the years as the evergreen 38-year-old stunningly ripped the WBC Bantamweight title away from Nordine Oubaali with a fourth round knockout win at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. The contest topped a Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions bill.
Oubaali was making a third defence of the vacant belt that he claimed in January 2019, where he defeated Rau’shee Warren on the scorecards, while the vastly decorated four-weight world champion Donaire was coming off a heroic loss to Naoya Inoue in the final of the World Boxing Super Series back in November 2019, where he gave the Japanese all he could handle in a thriller that ‘The Monster’ took on points.
The contest began with Oubaali up on his toes, darting in and out and firing off a variety of punches, while Donaire elected to take his time and measure his approach in the first round.
The Filipino was targeting the body of the champion to good effect to open the second session, and he was working well on the counter attack, as well as making Oubaali fall short as he displayed his defensive skills.
Donaire had to take a stiff left hand from the champion in the third, and the two traded. ‘The Filipino Flash’ landed with a massive left hook that dropped the Frenchman for the first time in his career.
Oubaali was on unsteady legs on the resumption, but he elected to exchange once again, and a stunning left hand from Donaire right on the bell flattened the Parisian once again, this time a lot more heavily.
Referee Jack Reiss scandalously gave Oubaali all the time in the world to walk towards him, and the 34-year-old barely knew where his corner was as he attempted to clear the fog in the one minute rest between rounds.
Donaire simply couldn’t miss on the counter, and another power left hand robbed Oubaali of his senses, and the fight was waved off in a time defying win for the veteran.
“The king has returned” said Donaire to Showtime’s Jim Gray post fight.
“The king has returned.” – @filipinoflash ⚡
The 3x Bantamweight World Champ checked in with @JimGrayOfficial after his KO win over Oubaali. #OubaaliDonaire pic.twitter.com/bFguVeDRTH
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) May 30, 2021
“It’s the ability to grow. It matters not what your age is, it matters how strong you are mentally. What I learned from fighting Inoue is that I’m back, I competed with him and was still learning. I believe that the human body is an incredible thing as long as you take care of it”.
Looking forward, a rematch with the previously mentioned Nagoya Inoue is firmly on Donaire’s mind.
“I wanted to win to win this fight, because that (fighting Inoue) is my next goal. The only thing that I haven’t accomplished is to become undisputed, and the next phase to that is getting a rematch”.
Relentless @SubrielMatias improves to 17-1, 17 KOs with the W over Jukembayev 💪🏾#MatiasJukembayev #OubaaliDonaire pic.twitter.com/p8FYojUJih
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) May 30, 2021
Subriel Matias took the IBF Supper Lightweight title eliminator, as he forced the previously unbeaten Batyrzhan Jukembayev to retire after eight rounds. The Canada based Kazakh was floored in the fourth frame, and although Jukembayev was brave and continuously shipped punishment, he wilted in the eighth as his tank emptied, and his corner wisely saved him for another day.
Gary Antuanne Russell with the knockdown🔥 pic.twitter.com/bSYKXrMK2s
— ᴊᴛ (@jtnufc) May 30, 2021
It was a similar story in the other Super Lightweight attraction, as Gary Antuanne Russell forced Jovanie Santiago to retire after six rounds. Santiago had been the distance with Adrien Broner in his last outing, but he was no match for Russell, who also scored a fourth round knockdown.
The final ten stone offering saw an upset, as Luis David Salazar was dropped four times before being halted by Kevin Johnson in the eighth and final round. Salazar was down twice in round three, and once more in rounds seven and eight.
At Bantamweight, Alejandro Santiago Barrios knocked out Juan Gabriel Medina in two rounds, while at Featherweight, Rey Diaz had to get off the canvas in the fourth and final round before taking a win by a single point on all three cards against Sergio Antonio Gonzalez.
Light Heavyweight, Atif Oberlton moved to 2-0, as he knocked out Larry Pryor in the third of their scheduled six rounder.
