Nonito Donaire shows that age is no factor in winning bantamweght boxing championship

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Nonito Donaire celebrates after his knokdown of Nordine Oubaali.

For professional athletes, 38 is considered to be old. Nonito Donaire surprised boxing fans with his knockout of Nordine Oubaali last Saturday. And with that accomplishment Donaire became the oldest man to become a bantamweight champion.

"There's a reason they call me the 'Filipino Flash,'" said Donaire. He beat the younger Oubaali convincingly, knocking down the Frenchman twice in the third round and finished him with a crushing hook in the fourth, showing the speed and power that made him a champion when he knocked out Vic Darchinyan in 2007 to win the flyweight belt.'

“Being at this age is really not the question,” the Filipino American champion said. “It’s about my performance. It’s the ability to grow. I believe it matters not what your age is. It matters how you are mentally, how strong you are mentally. … I believe the human body is an incredible machine. It can do incredible things if we take care of it. That’s the question, that taking care of our body allows us to be strong mentally. You’re only as strong as your mind can be.”

Donaire hasn't fought for 16 months since his listliss 12-round loss to Japan's Naoya Inoue, and it looked at that time that Donaire was ready for retirement.

During his time off, not only has he been studying his craft and keeping fit, he's been educating himself about the plight of Asian Americans, who have come under attack from racists.

Before and after his fight he wore a blue T-shirt with the message "Stop Asian Hate."

The racist attacks against AAPI make no sense, said Donaire, who lives and trains in the San Francisco Bay Area, as he took the time to speak on the issue immediately after his fight.

“I want to make the statement that we’re all one,” Donaire said in the ring still perspiring after the fight. “If we could help each other, then we should help each other. 

"Let us stop Asian hate. My elderly father is afraid to go out. Let’s stop the hate, any kind of hate.”

Boxing: The Filipino Flash dimmed vs. Frampton

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Filipino/American boxer Nonito Donaire had few highlights in the one-sided fight in Belfast, Ireland.

THE FILIPINO FLASH sputtered in Belfast and lost his fight against Carl Frampton.

Except for one round near the end of the fight, the 35-year old fighter Nonito Donaire was never in the fight as the younger boxer won all the other rounds in the unanimous decision.

The Irish boxer, 31, unloaded on the older Donaire in the second round which set the tone for the bout.

Frampton regularly beat the veteran to the punch to take a points lead although the Filipino did land big left hooks in the seventh and 11th rounds.

Northern Ireland's Frampton had rated Donaire, a seven-time world champion across four separate weight classes, as the most "accomplished fighter I have ever faced".

But the Donaire, who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area between fights, did not appear to be at his very best in Belfast, although he did rock Frampton with several solid punches in the 11th round of 12.

"Nonito Donaire was dangerous from start to finish. I stuck to the game plan and at times my boxing was beautiful," Frampton told BT Sport.

Donaire , who in his prime held multiple crowns in a range of weight divisions, might not have won the fight, but he won the hearts of Belfast's boxing fans. The two boxers treated each other with respect in the days leading up to the match.

He dressed himself as a Leprechaun and invited fight fans to join him for a drink at the Crown Bar and took numerous selfies with those who showed up.

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AAPI Athletes: Filipino Flash victorious in his return to the ring

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Filipino American boxer Nonito Donaire lands a right hand on Hernandez.

"THE FILIPINO FLASH" took the first step on his comeback trail with a dominating victory over Ruben Garcia Hernandez in a 10-round fight in Texas' Alamadome.
Five-division world champion and Filipino boxing great Nonito 'The Filipino Flash' Donaire earned a unanimous decision over Mexico's Hernandez to become the new WBC Silver featherweight champion, Saturday evening (Sept. 23) in San Antonio, Texas.

The 34-year old Filipino fighter last saw action in November of 2016 when he lost his WBO World super bantamweight to Jessie Magdaleno in a stunning upset.

Saturday, Donaire didn't try to slug it out but kept his promise to rely on his speed and savvy to best the younger Garcia Hernandez. 

After ten rounds, the three judges were in agreement in scoring: 100-90, 97-93, 99-91.

"I feel like I’m getting back to the elite level in the way I’m fighting," Donaire told Sporting News. "It’s just more practicing of it and the conditioning of my body to react to certain situations in a fight without thinking about it.

"I boxed very well, which is something I haven't done in a long time. I moved my legs well and maintained it throughout the whole fight.

"I've always been an aggressive boxer but this time i used my jab and combinations. I had the urge to just brawl and I felt like I hurt him. But ultimately I did a great job showing versatility in my game."

Donaire said that after his win against Hernandez, he'll be gunning for the game's top featherweights. Donaire improves to 38-4 in his career. 

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AAPI Athletes: 'The Filipino Flash' defending his boxing crown

Filipino American boxer Nonito Donaire is back in the ring.

NONITO DONAIRE, JR., aka "The Filipino Flash," is fighting tonight (Sept. 23) to defend his WBC Silver Featherweight title against Mexico's Ruben Garcia Hernandez in San Antonio, Texas.

For Donaire, it will be the first time back in the ring since losing his WBO super-bantamweight crown to Jessie Magdaleno in Las Vegas in November of last year.

Donaire (37-4, 24 KOs) is scheduled to take on Ruben Garcia Hernandez (22-2-1, 9 KOs) in the co-main event of a 12-bout card at the Alamodome’s Illusions Theater.

During the weigh-in held Friday, Donaire, 34, came in at 125.5 pounds, while Garcia Hernandez weighed in at 126 pounds. 

"The second half of my career is going to be an explosion," said Donaire, who holds titles in five different weight divisions. "It’s going to be an amazing ride and everyone is going to see great fights. You know I’ll get in there with anybody."

He has in his sights a rematch with Magdaleno. Magdalena has reneged on his promise to give Donaire an immediate rematch and called the Filipino Flash a sore loser.

Donaire said he never expected Magdaleno to turn arrogant so soon after wresting the crown. In a social media rant, Magdaleno said, “I don’t need to fight you right now, I don’t need anything from you, dude … I can get better paydays from other great potential fighters … there are bigger and better matches than you … you’re old now, everyone sees it.” 

The Filipino/American fighter, who trains in the San Francisco Bay Area, said, “I’m ready to destroy everybody in my path. That’s the game plan. I want to get back to that world title shot. I will happily fight anybody for that shot to reclaim my place at the top of the division."

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