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Nonito Gonzales Donaire Jr. (; ; born November 16, 1982) is a
Filipino American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New S ...
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes from
flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
to
featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...
, and is the oldest boxer in history to win a
bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...
world title, as well as being the first three-time champion in that weight class. Donaire has also held world championships in three consecutive decades: the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, being the sixth boxer to do so after
Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and is the on ...
,
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
,
Bernard Hopkins Bernard Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight class ...
,
Érik Morales Erik Isaac Morales Elvira (; born September 1, 1976) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2012. He is the first Mexico-born boxer in history to quadruple champion, win world titles in four different weight classes, h ...
, and
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (''né'' Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He currently owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series named The Money Team Racing. As a professional boxer he competed b ...
In total, Donaire has held nine world titles by the main four boxing sanctioning bodies. He has also held the IBO flyweight title, the WBA
interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...
super flyweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council respond ...
title, and the ''
Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
'' magazine and lineal
super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or ...
titles. As of June 2021, Donaire is ranked as the world's second best active bantamweight by ''The Ring'', the
Transnational Boxing Rankings Board The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB) is an all-volunteer initiative formed in October 2012 with the intention of providing professional boxing with authoritative top-ten rankings, identifying the singular world champion of every divisio ...
,
BoxRec BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing. The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
, and
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. Donaire is popularly known as "The Filipino Flash" due to his fast hand speed and punching power, and is a two-time winner of ''The Ring''s
Knockout of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Knockout of the Year since 1989, based on the magazine's writers' criteria. Knockouts of the Year by decade 1980s * 1989: Michael Nunn ''KO 1'' Sumbu Kalambay 1990s * 1990: Terr ...
award, in 2007 and 2011. He reached a peak
pound for pound Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, of who the better fighters are irrespective of their weight, i.e. adjusted to compensate for weight class. As these fighters do not compete direc ...
ranking of third by '' The Ring'' in 2011, and was named
Fighter of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Fighter of the Year since 1928, which this list covers. The award, selected by the magazine editors, is based on a boxer's performance in the ring.Boxing Writers Association of America The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) was originally formed in 1926 as the Boxing Writers Association of Greater New York. The association's purpose is to promote better working conditions for boxing writers, as well as hold its writers ...
. Donaire is one of a select few Asian boxers to win world titles in at least four weight classes, along with fellow Filipinos
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
and
Donnie Nietes Donnie Liboon Nietes (born May 12, 1982) is a Filipino professional boxer. He is a world champion in four weight-classes, having previously held the WBO mini-flyweight title from 2007 to 2011; the WBO and ''The Ring'' magazine junior-flyweig ...
.


Early life

Donaire was born in
Talibon, Bohol Talibon, officially the Municipality of Talibon ( ceb, Lungsod sa Talibon; tgl, Bayan ng Talibon), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 71,272 people. It is lo ...
, Philippines, the third of four children to Nonito C. Donaire, Sr. (born 1959,
South Cotabato South Cotabato ( hil, Bagatnan Cotabato; ceb, Habagatang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pagabagatan Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤاڬابڬتن كوتاواتو; tl, Timog Cotabato), officially the Province of South Cotabato, is a province in the Philippine ...
) and Imelda M. Gonzales (born 1950, Talibon). His older brother is former boxer
Glenn Donaire Glenn Gonzales Donaire (born December 7, 1979) is a Filipino American former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2012, and challenged twice for world titles at flyweight and light flyweight. He is the older brother of former four-weight ...
,"Nonito Donaire Jr.: Star on the rise."
Philstar.com August 24, 2009. Accessed April 14, 2013.
Dixon T
"Nonito Donaire: The Sadness Behind the Smile."
''
Boxing News ''Boxing News'' is a British weekly boxing magazine published by Kelsey Media. It is the longest-running boxing magazine still in publication, dating back to 1909. History ''Boxing News'' was founded in 1909 by original editor John Murray as, si ...
'' January 6, 2011. Accessed March 6, 2012.
and his cousin is former boxer Richard Donaire.Varella B
"Lumacad: Redemption Starts With A Donaire."
Eastside boxing.com August 25, 2009. Accessed August 25, 2009.
Until he was six years of age, Donaire lived in
General Santos City General Santos, officially the City of General Santos,; hil, Dakbanwa sang Heneral Santos; Maguindanao: ''Ingud nu Heneral Santos''; Blaan: ''Banwe Dadiangas''; Tboli: ''Benwu Dadiangas''; Filipino: ''Lungsod ng Heneral Santos'' and abbrev ...
,
South Cotabato South Cotabato ( hil, Bagatnan Cotabato; ceb, Habagatang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pagabagatan Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤاڬابڬتن كوتاواتو; tl, Timog Cotabato), officially the Province of South Cotabato, is a province in the Philippine ...
and attended the same school as future eight-division world champion,
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
."Hunger has Donaire going up in weight."
ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
August 13, 2009. Accessed April 14, 2013.
Donaire was a child of small stature and was
bullied Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imbal ...
.Reyes M
"Champ who nearly took his own life because of bullies now looks forward to bigger foes."
''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' October 21, 2011. Accessed March 6, 2012.
Chong M
"Nonito Donaire's Wife Speaks."
My Boxing Fans.com February 15, 2011. Accessed March 6, 2012.
Borges R
"No one's bullying Donaire any longer."
ESPN.com November 27, 2007. Accessed March 7, 2012.
Donaire's father was an amateur boxer who competed in the U.S. in the early 1990s. His paternal grandfather was born in
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, and this gave Donaire American citizenship under the principle of ''
jus Sanguinis ( , , ; 'right of blood') is a principle of nationality law by which citizenship is determined or acquired by the nationality or ethnicity of one or both parents. Children at birth may be citizens of a particular state if either or both of t ...
''."Q&A: Nonito Donaire."
RingTV November 5, 2013. Accessed July 19, 2015.
In 1993, at the age of eleven, Donaire joined his father in
Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, t ...
, California. They later lived in
San Leandro, California San Leandro (Spanish for " St. Leander") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland to the northwest, and Ashland, Castro Valley, and Hayward to the sou ...
.Reyes M
"Waiting in the wings."
''
Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...
'' March 3, 2012. Accessed March 6, 2012.
and
San Mateo County, California San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City, California, Redwoo ...
.Henson J
"Donaire goes for broke against overweight foe."
''
The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...
'' August 16, 2009. Accessed March 6, 2012.
Donaire said that during his childhood he wished for more attention from his parents and, after his brother started boxing, the attention was given to him. This was his reason for entering the sport of boxing at the age of eleven even though he did not enjoy it. His father supported his choice as he felt it would keep Donaire off the streets. Santoliquito J.br>"Nonito Donaire Q&A."
'' The Ring'' August 13, 2009. Accessed March 7, 2012.
During their younger years, Donaire and Glenn would
spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...
. Donaire also watched videos of his hero,
Alexis Argüello Alexis Argüello (April 19, 1952 – July 1, 2009) was a Nicaraguan professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 1995, and later became a politician. He was a three-weight world champion, having held the WBA featherweight title from 1974 to 19 ...
, and from them he learned to throw a powerful left hook. While enrolled at the San Lorenzo High School in
San Lorenzo, California San Lorenzo (Spanish for "St. Lawrence") is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 29,581 at the 2020 census. It is an unincorporate ...
, both Nonito and Glenn won several regional and district amateur boxing championships. In his first amateur bout, Nonito beat his opponent with straight punches, all the while thinking that "I'm going to kill him before he kills me." However, Donaire had little confidence until he had five professional knockout victories.


Amateur career

As a young
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
, Donaire won three U.S. national championships: the National Silver Gloves (1998), National Junior Olympics (1999) and the National USA Tournament (2000). He also won the 1999 International Junior Olympics gold medal. Donaire's amateur record was 68 – 8 with 5 technical knockouts (TKOs).


Professional career

In 2001, Donaire and his brother became professional boxers. They signed contracts with a promoter, Jackie Kallen. Donaire was paid a monthly salary of $1,500. In 2001, after a controversial decision, Donaire lost his second fight against Rosendo Sanchez. This impassioned him to win his fights which he did until April 2013. After four professional bouts, Donaire and his brother left their contracts with Kallen and returned to Manila and then to San Leandro, where there were fewer distractions.


Early years

On September 9, 2002, in
Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
, Donaire won his first regional title, the vacant WBO Asia Pacific
flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
title. He knocked out Kaichon Sor Vorapin in the second round. On January 20, 2006, Donaire won his second regional title, the NABF super flyweight title, by defeating Kahren Harutyunyan via split decision (SD) on ShoBox. Two judges scored the bout 97–92 for Donaire while the third scored it 95–94 for Harutyunan. On October 7, 2006, Donaire defeated Oscar Andrade, a veteran boxer, by
unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighter ...
(UD) with the scorecards reading 118–109, 116–112, and 116–112.


Flyweight


Donaire vs. Darchinyan

On July 7, 2007, Donaire won the
IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
and IBO flyweight titles with a one-punch, fifth-round
knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
(KO) of the then undefeated
Vic Darchinyan Vakhtang "Vic" Darchinyan ( hy, ÕŽÕ¡Õ­Õ©Õ¡Õ¶Õ£ Ô´Õ¡Ö€Õ¹Õ«Õ¶ÕµÕ¡Õ¶; born 7 January 1976) is an Armenian former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2017. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF flywei ...
. This victory was awarded ''
Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...
's'' "Knockout of the Year" and "Upset of the Year". On July 31, 2007, Donaire met Philippine President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...
. Donaire said the experience was, "an overwhelming feeling. It was indescribable. The moment I walked up the stairs and she was up there and when I looked it was a moment when I couldn't even look at her face. It was a great honor." Then, on December 1, 2007, Donaire made the first defense of his IBF and IBO titles against Luis Maldonado of Mexico, winning via
technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
(TKO) in the eighth round. Donaire said, "I guess my validation was today but I didn't feel my best; I felt sluggish. I didn't have my legs. I don't know what the problem was. I couldn't move well so I tried to rely on my upper body movement." In late June 2008, Donaire severed his association with his promoter, Gary Shaw. Donaire had not been offered the number of fights his contract demanded. Shaw also failed to disclose revenue from fights as demanded by the
Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, commonly referred to as the Ali Act, is a federal law that was introduced in 1999 and enacted on May 26, 2000 by the 106th Congress to: (1) protect the rights and welfare of boxers; (2) aid state boxing commiss ...
. Days after leaving Gary Shaw Productions, Donaire signed a contract with
Top Rank Boxing Top Rank, Inc. is a boxing promotional company founded by Jabir Herbert Muhammad and Bob Arum, which was incorporated in 1973, and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since its founding, Top Rank has promoted many world class fighters, including Muh ...
.


Donaire vs. Mthalane

On November 2, 2008, Donaire made the second defense of his titles with a sixth-round (1:31) TKO of
Moruti Mthalane Moruti Mthalane (born 6 October 1982) is a South African former professional boxer. He is a two-time International Boxing Federation, IBF flyweight champion, having held the title between 2009 and 2021. He also held the International Boxing Org ...
. Although Donaire's asthma condition was well managed in general, after his illness in the Mthalane fight, Donaire became estranged from his father who did not acknowledge the medical problem. On April 19, 2009, Donaire faced Raul Martinez, for a third defense of his titles at the
Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed as "the Big Dom ...
in
Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
, Philippines. Donaire scored a TKO in the fourth round (2:42). For this match, Donaire was trained by the Peñalosa brothers:
Gerry Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice presi ...
, Dodie Boy and Jonathan. After the match, Donaire was recorded in the
Ring Magazine pound for pound The following tables show the professional boxers listed in the latest top-10 pound for pound world rankings published by each of: * ''The Ring'' magazine * Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA — men only) * Transnational Boxing Ranking ...
rankings in seventh position.


Super flyweight

The International Boxing Federation ordered a rematch between Donaire and the previous challenger, Moruti Mthalane to take place by August 1, 2009. However, Donaire, now wished to move up to the
super flyweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council respond ...
division.


Donaire vs. Concepción

Donaire was to fight
Hugo Fidel Cazares Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Hugo (film), ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise ...
on August 15, 2009, but negotiations failed.
Rafael Concepción Rafael Concepción (born 24 June 1982) is a boxer from the Republic of Panama, nicknamed ''"El Torito"''. He has a record of 13 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw. He fought A. J. ''"Bazooka"'' Banal of the Philippines for the WBA interim Super Flyweigh ...
replaced Cazares as Donaire's opponent for the WBA
interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...
super flyweight title Donaire hired a conditioning coach, Mike Bazzel, to assist Dodie Boy and Jonathan Peñalosa in his training at the Undisputed Boxing Gym, San Carlos. Donaire dedicated his fight against Concepcion to the memory of Corazon "Cory" Aquino and requested
Everlast Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage name Everlast, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter, who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. He was also part of the hip hop supergroup La Coka ...
, a boxing equipment company, provide a yellow robe with the inscription "I. M. O. (in memory of) former Pres. Cory Aquino." Concepcion failed to weigh in within the super flyweight limit of , meaning the title would only be on the line for Donaire. He captured the title via twelve-round UD. After his win, Donaire was honored in a motorcade in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
organised by
Alfredo Lim Alfredo "Fred" Siojo Lim Jr.. (; December 21, 1929 – August 8, 2020) was a Filipino politician and police officer who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2004 to 2007. He also served as the Mayor of Manila twice: first from 1992 to 19 ...
, the mayor. In late 2009, Donaire began training under Robert Garcia.


Donaire vs. Vargas

On February 13, 2010, Donaire fought Manuel Vargas in the first defense of his WBA interim title. The fight took place at the
Las Vegas Hilton The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is a hotel, casino, and timeshare resort in Winchester, Nevada. Located near the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, it is owned by Westgate Resorts. It opened in 1969 as the International Hotel, and was ...
in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. Vargas, a late replacement for Gerson Guerrero, had to move up three
weight divisions Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Alter ...
in order to participate. The bout headlined the card titled "Pinoy Power 3." Donaire won the fight with a third-round (1:33) KO. After the fight, Donaire planned to move up to the
bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...
division and expressed his wish to fight Vic Darchinyan and
Fernando Montiel Fernando Montiel Martínez (born March 1, 1979) is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a multiple-time former world champion in three weight classes, having held the WBO flyweight title from 2001 to 2002, the WBO junior bantamweight title twic ...
, but neither bout took place.


Donaire vs. Márquez

Donaire fought his last bout in the super flyweight division against
Hernán Márquez Hernán Márquez Beltrán (born September 4, 1988), commonly known by his nickname "Tyson" Márquez, is a Mexican professional boxer. He held the WBA flyweight title from 2011 to 2012, and has challenged once for the WBA interim super flyweight ...
. The fight was on the
undercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
of the Juan Manuel López and
Bernabe Concepcion Bernabe "Abe" Concepcion (born 1988) is a retired Filipino featherweight boxer. Concepcion resides in Rizal, Viga, Catanduanes, Philippines. Being from a boxing-oriented family, he trained from a young age. He turned professional at the age of 16 ...
bout on July 10, 2010, at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in
San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...
. Donaire had challenged
Eric Morel Eric Arturo Morel (born October 10, 1975 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. He is a former World Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight (112 lb) champion. Amateur career Morel had an outstanding amateur career, and w ...
who declined. Donaire won the match with a TKO in the eighth round.Gregory S
"Donaire stops Marquez in 8."
BoxingNews24.com July 11, 2010. Accessed July 11, 2010.
Vester M
"Nonito Donaire Blasts Out Hernan Marquez in Eight."
BoxingScene.com July 10, 2010. Accessed July 11, 2010.


Bantamweight

Following his win against Márquez, Donaire stated his intention to compete in the bantamweight division () by challenging unified WBC and WBO champion,
Fernando Montiel Fernando Montiel Martínez (born March 1, 1979) is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a multiple-time former world champion in three weight classes, having held the WBO flyweight title from 2001 to 2002, the WBO junior bantamweight title twic ...
.Thomas E
"Donaire to fight Montiel in November."
BoxingNews24.com July 11, 2010. Accessed July 13, 2010.
Satterfield L
"Arum: If Donaire Beats Montiel, Vasquez Jr. is Next."
BoxingScene.com July 13, 2010. Accessed July 13, 2010.


Donaire vs. Sydorenko

On December 4, 2010, Donaire challenged the former WBA bantamweight champion,
Volodymyr Sydorenko Volodymyr Sydorenko ( uk, Володимир Сидоренко; born 23 September 1976), also known as Wladimir Sidorenko, is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2010, and held the WBA bantamweight title from 2005 to ...
for the vacant WBC Continental Americas bantamweight title. Donaire knocked down Sydorenko three times and became the first man to defeat the boxer. The win against Sydorenko gave Donaire the chance to face Montiel.


Donaire vs. Montiel

On February 19, 2011, Donaire defeated Montiel in the second round to capture the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles. Donaire took a right to the head from Montiel, then immediately countered with a left to the head that knocked his opponent down. Montiel rose to continue before Donaire rushed over to land a left and a right. The referee, Russell Mora, stopped the fight at 2:25 of the second round."HBO Boxing: Fernando Montiel vs. Nonito Donaire Highlights (HBO)"
HBO Sports Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
, March 1, 2011. Accessed March 7, 2012.
He was given a third place in Ring Magazine's "pound for pound" rankings. Juan Manuel Marquez and Sergio Martínez were ahead of him. On February 28, 2011, resolutions moved by
Pia Cayetano Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano KGCR (born March 22, 1966), known as Pia Cayetano, is a Filipina politician and lawyer serving as a Senator since 2019, a position she previously held from 2004 to 2016. She was also the Representative of Tagui ...
and Manuel Lapid were passed by the senate of the Philippines that Donaire be congratulated and commended for being an outstanding Filipino boxer and for bringing honor and pride to the country.


Donaire vs. Narváez

On October 22, 2011, Donaire made his
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
debut, beating the previously undefeated two-division world champion, Omar Narváez, via UD at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
in New York.


Super bantamweight


Donaire vs. Vázquez Jr.

In 2012, Donaire fought Wilfredo Vázquez Jr. After twelve rounds, Donaire had scores of 117–110 and 117-110. Surprisingly, the third judge scored 115–112 in favour of Vázquez Jr. Donaire landed sixty percent of his power shots and out-landed Vázquez Jr in rounds one to five and seven to twelve and was awarded the WBO super bantamweight title. In the ninth round, Vázquez Jr. was knocked down for the first time in his professional career."Nonito Donaire."
HBO Sports October 1, 2012. Accessed October 13, 2012.
Donaire became the second Filipino (after
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
) to win championships in four weight divisions.


Donaire vs. Mathebula

On July 7, 2012, Donaire fought in a unification bout against
IBF super bantamweight champion This is a list of world super-bantamweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often rec ...
Jeffrey Mathebula. Donaire's progress of 28–1 with 18 knockouts was matched with Mathebula's of 26–3 with two draws and 14 knockouts. It was possible the two boxers' super bantamweight world titles would be unified. The bout was televised live on ''
HBO Boxing After Dark ''Boxing After Dark'' is an HBO boxing program, premiered on February 3, 1996, that usually showed fights between well-known contenders, but usually not "championship" or "title" fights. Unlike its sister program, ''HBO World Championship Boxin ...
'' from the Home Depot centre in
Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...
. Donaire defeated Mathebula by UD, knocking him down in round four and breaking his jaw in two places.


Donaire vs. Nishioka

On October 13, 2012, in Carson, California, Donaire fought
Toshiaki Nishioka is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2012. He held the WBC super-bantamweight title from 2008 to 2012, and challenged for the WBO and ''The Ring super-bantamweight titles in his final-fight. Nishioka is known for ...
who had been ranked first in his division by ''Ring'' magazine. Donaire officially relinquished the IBF super bantamweight title hours before the fight by declining to participate in the IBF's mandated weight check. When, by the ninth round, Nishioka had been knocked down twice, his
cornerman In combat sports, a cornerman, or second, is a coach or trainer assisting a fighter during a bout. The cornerman is forbidden to instruct and must remain outside the combat area during the round. In the break, they are permitted to enter the ri ...
asked the referee to end the fight, handing Donaire a TKO victory to retain his WBO title and capture the vacant ''Ring'' magazine super bantamweight title. The purse from this bout and his contract with HBO earned Donaire 800,000 dollars.Reyes M
"Nonito still chasing PPV fighter status."
Philippine Daily Inquirer October 14, 2012. Accessed October 19, 2012.


Donaire vs. Arce

On December 15, 2012, in
Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Donaire retained his titles against
Jorge Arce Jorge Armando Arce Armenta (; born July 27, 1979), best known as Jorge Arce, is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2014. He is a multiple-time world champion, and the second boxer from Mexico to win world titles in ...
with a third-round (2:59) KO. Donaire had already knocked down Arce in the second and third rounds.


Donaire vs. Rigondeaux

On April 13, 2013, Donaire fought WBA (Super) champion
Guillermo Rigondeaux Guillermo Rigondeaux Ortiz (; born 30 September 1980) is a Cuban professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the unified WBA (Super), WBO and ''Ring'' magazine super bantamweight titles between 2013 and ...
at
Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
in New York. Donaire knocked Rigondeaux down once in the tenth round en route to a UD defeat, losing his WBO and ''Ring'' titles and ending his twelve year winning streak.


Featherweight


Donaire vs. Darchinyan II

In November 2013, Donaire fought Vic Darchinyan in non-title fight that was a rematch of their 2007 fight. The bout was on the undercard of a
Mikey Garcia Miguel Angel Garcia Cortez (born December 15, 1987), best known as Mikey Garcia, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2021. He held multiple world championships in four weight classes from featherweight to light w ...
vs. Román Martínez. Donaire started strong, but Darchinyan mounted a comeback in the middle rounds to take the lead on two of the official scorecards. However, in the ninth round, Donaire was able to drop Darchinyan with a left hook. Although he was able to beat the count, Darchinyan wasn't able to intelligently defend himself, prompting the referee to stop the fight (2:06).Rafael D
"Garcia, Donaire get it done differently."
ESPN.go.com November 9, 2013. Accessed November 10, 2013.


Donaire vs. Vetyeka

On May 31, 2014, Donaire fought
Simpiwe Vetyeka Simpiwe Vetyeka (born 24 December 1980) is a South African professional boxer. He is a former WBA (Undisputed) and IBO featherweight champion, as well as a former IBO super bantamweight champion. Professional career Vetyeka vs. John Vetyeka w ...
for the WBA (Super) featherweight title at
The Venetian Macao The Venetian Macao () is a hotel and casino resort in Macau owned by the American Las Vegas Sands company. The 39-story structure on Macau's Cotai Strip has of floor space, and is modeled on its sister casino resort The Venetian Las Vegas. It ...
Hotel & Resort's
CotaiArena The Cotai Arena is an indoor arena located on the premises of The Venetian Macao, on the Cotai Strip, in Macau, China. It opened in 2007 with a seating capacity of 15,000. The arena was known as Venetian Arena from 2007 to 2010, when it was rena ...
in
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
. Donaire knocked down Vetyeka in the fourth round after landing his signature left hook. The fight was stopped seconds after the bell for the fifth round due to a cut on Donaire's left eye from an accidental head butt. Donaire won the bout via unanimous
technical decision A technical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight has to be stopped because of a headbutt. In boxing fights, referees have to pay deep attention to the action going on between the fighters, especially when the two combatants are fightin ...
(TD).


Donaire vs. Walters

On October 18, 2014, Donaire made the first defense of his WBA (Super) title against undefeated
WBA (Regular) The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxi ...
champion
Nicholas Walters Nicholas "Tha Axe Man" Walters (born 4 January 1986) is a Jamaican professional boxer. He held the WBA featherweight title from 2012 to 2015 and challenged once for the WBO junior lightweight title in 2016. Personal life Born in Montego Bay ...
. The fight took place in Carson, California, on the undercard of the
Gennady Golovkin Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin (Cyrillic: ; also spelled Gennady; born 8 April 1982), often known by his nickname "GGG" or "Triple G", is a Kazakhstani professional boxer. He has held multiple middleweight world championships, and is a two-time ...
vs.
Marco Antonio Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (born June 16, 1980) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2015. He held the WBC interim middleweight title in 2014, and challenged twice for a middleweight world title in 2009 and 2012. Professi ...
bout. Donaire rocked Walters heavily early on, but other than that had little success and was dropped twice before the referee stopped the fight. It was the first knockout loss of Donaire's career.


Return to super bantamweight

On March 28, 2015, Donaire returned to the super bantamweight division and defeated William Prado in two rounds to secure the vacant NABF super bantamweight title at the
Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed as "the Big Dom ...
in the Philippines. A flurried attack had Prado dazed at the end of the first round. Donaire continued his attack at the beginning of the second round and the fight was stopped. On July 18, 2015, Donaire also defeated Anthony Settoul in two rounds via stoppage at The Venetian Macao in Macau.


Donaire vs. Juarez

On December 11, 2015, Donaire reclaimed the vacant WBO super bantamweight title, defeating Cesar Juarez by UD. The fight was controlled by Donaire early on, dropping the Mexican brawler twice, but Juarez showed good punch resistance to keep going. Donaire began to slow down due to fatigue and an ankle injury, as Juarez picked up the pressure. The latter rounds were much closer as the fight turned into a slugfest and a 'fight of the year' candidate, it ended with both fighters exhausted and swinging wildly at the final bell. Donaire defended the WBO title successfully against
Zsolt Bedak Zsolt () is a Hungarian masculine given name, originally a variant of ''Solt''. Related names * Zsolt: old Hungarian personal name, with an identical origin to the names ''Zoltán'', ''Zsolt'' and possibly ''Csolt''. Derived from the old Turkish w ...
via third-round TKO in Cebu City, Philippines on April 23, 2016.


Donaire vs. Magdaleno

Donaire lost to
Jessie Magdaleno Jesús Gabriel "Jessie" Magdaleno (born November 8, 1991) is an American professional boxer who held the WBO junior featherweight title from 2016 to 2018. He is the younger brother of boxer Diego Magdaleno. Amateur career Magdaleno was one of the ...
as the co-main event on
Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas, billed as ''The Legend/The Champ'', was a boxing match for the WBO welterweight championship. The event took place on November 5, 2016 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao won the fight by u ...
PPV bout on November 5, 2016. This marked the first time Donaire and Pacquiao, the two biggest boxing stars to come out of the Philippines, have ever shared the same card.


Return to featherweight

On March 8, 2017, Top Rank and Donaire agreed to end their partnership after an eight-year run with only about a month remaining in the contract. On July 25, 2017, Donaire signed with Richard Schaefer's Ringstar Sports. On September 23, 2017, Donaire returned to featherweight and defeated Ruben Garcia Hernandez via UD to win the vacant WBC Silver featherweight title at the
Alamodome The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 milli ...
in
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
.


Donaire vs. Frampton

In December 2017, Donaire came up as a potential opponent for
Carl Frampton Carl Frampton (born 21 February 1987) is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 2009 to 2021. He is a former two-weight world champion, having held the WBA (Unified) and IBF super-bantamweight titles between 2014 a ...
after the announcement from promoter Frank Warren. Negotiations began on December 19, 2017, between Donaire's promoter, Ringstar Sports, and Warren. On December 21, 2017, the fight was officially announced for April 21, 2018, at the
SSE Arena, Belfast The Odyssey Complex, formerly Odyssey Centre, is a sports and entertainment complex located within the Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The complex originated in 1992 and came into fruition in June 1998. It opened in December 200 ...
, Northern Ireland by Warren via the
BoxNation BoxNation was a British dedicated boxing subscription television channel, operated by Viaplay. The brand is licensed from George Warren's Queensbury Commercial. History BoxNation was launched by Frank Warren Promotions as a free-to-air channe ...
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page. Frampton put on a defensive performance and beat Donaire via UD, becoming the WBO interim featherweight champion. All three judges scored the fight 117–111 for Frampton. Frampton fought well to get a strong lead and after round six started to fight on the backfoot. In the later rounds, Donaire had more success, hurting Frampton on a number of occasions, landing a hard left hook in round eleven. Donaire was cut over his right after an accidental clash of heads in round seven, with the referee failing to call a time-out. After the fight, Frampton said on live television, "I didn't have to get involved in a fight there, as you saw in the last round Nonito Donaire is a dangerous motherfucker. I survived the round and stuck to my game plan. The only thing on my mind is Windsor Park and I can't wait to get there." According to
CompuBox CompuBox is the name of a computerized punches scoring system run by two operators. CompuBox is used in boxing matches around the world. Background The system is based on a computer program, originally named FightStat, developed by Jon Gibbs in ...
Stats, Frampton landed 164 of 557 punches thrown (29.4%) and Donaire landed 104 of his 447 thrown (23.3%).


Return to bantamweight


World Boxing Super Series

On May 9, 2018, at a news conference in London, the
World Boxing Super Series The World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) is a professional boxing tournament organised by Comosa AG. Each weight class features eight boxers competing in an annual knockout competition with the champion from each weight class taking the Muhammad Al ...
(WBSS) announced that season two would include the bantamweights.


Donaire vs. Burnett

The draft gala for the WBSS took place in Moscow on July 20, 2018. Donaire was chosen by top-seeded Ryan Burnett as his opponent in the quarter finals. On September 7, 2018, the WBSS announced a doubleheader would take place at
The SSE Hydro The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland, and is the largest entertainment venue in Scotland. The arena was initially named The Hydro after its main sponsor Scottish Hydro El ...
in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
on November 3, 2018. The card would see Burnett vs. Donaire as well as the quarter final fight from the super-lightweight tournament which would see
Josh Taylor Josh or Joshua Taylor may refer to: * Josh Taylor (actor) (born 1943), American comedy and dramatic television actor * Josh Taylor (baseball) (born 1993), American professional baseball pitcher * Josh Taylor (boxer) (born 1991), Scottish profession ...
go up against Ryan Martin. Burnett looked to have taken the first two rounds as Donaire reset on the third and began to box smarter. During the third round, Burnett received a counter left-hook to the body and felt the after effects. During the fourth round, Burnett reached for his lower back after throwing a combination of punches, an exchange which was counted as a knock down for Donaire. Burnett survived the round but failed to answer the bell for round five. Donaire showed respect to Burnett by going straight to Burnett's corner to give him some words of encouragement instead of celebrating. Donaire captured the WBA (Super) bantamweight title and moved on to the semifinals of the WBSS to face WBO champion
Zolani Tete Zolani Tete (born 8 March 1988) is a South African professional boxer. He is a former two-weight world champion, having held the IBF junior-bantamweight title from 2014 to 2015 and the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019. Early life and ...
.


Donaire vs. Young

On April 27, 2019, Nonito Donaire faced #5-ranked WBA contender Stephon Young, a last-minute replacement for Tete, who had to withdraw from the bout out due to a shoulder injury. The fight was held at the
Cajundome The Cajundome is a 13,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Lafayette, Louisiana on the South Campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's basketball programs in addition to h ...
in
Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757â ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, and the winner was set to face either WBA (Regular) bantamweight champion
Naoya Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a three-division world champion and currently the undisputed bantamweight world champion, having held the WBA (Super), IBF, ''Ring'' magazine titles since 2019, the WBC title since June 2022, and the W ...
or IBF bantamweight champion
Emmanuel Rodríguez Emmanuel Rodríguez Vázquez (born August 8, 1992) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who held the IBF bantamweight title from 2018 to 2019. As an amateur he represented Puerto Rico at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and won a gold medal in th ...
. Donaire made use of his jab to outbox Young in the succeeding rounds and put a final stamp in the sixth round with a counter-left hook that landed flush on Young's jaw, immediately knocking him out.


Donaire vs. Inoue

On November 8, 2019, Donaire faced
Naoya Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a three-division world champion and currently the undisputed bantamweight world champion, having held the WBA (Super), IBF, ''Ring'' magazine titles since 2019, the WBC title since June 2022, and the W ...
for the WBSS final in Japan. Donaire lost his title and the bout by UD. During the second round, Donaire opened a cut above Inoue's right eye after landing a left hook. It was the first time Inoue suffered a cut in his career. In the eleventh round, Donaire was knocked down after absorbing a body shot. The bout was scored 117–109, 116–111, and 114-113 in favor of Inoue. After the fight, Donaire and Inoue showed each other mutual respect, with Inoue lauding Donaire as "a true champion." The fight was later voted
the Ring magazine Fight of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has since named a Fight of the Year, which this list covers. Fights of the Year by decade 1920s *1922 Harry Greb W 15 Gene Tunney *1923 Jack Dempsey KO 2 Luis Firpo *1924 Gene Tunney KO 15 Ge ...
.


Cancelled fight with Rodríguez

Donaire was scheduled to face Emmanuel Rodríguez for the WBC bantamweight title on December 19, 2020, at the
Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span. It was built by the Perini Buil ...
in
Montville, Connecticut Montville is a town in New London County, Connecticut in the United States. The population was 18,387 at the 2020 census. The villages of Chesterfield, Mohegan, Oakdale, and Uncasville are located within the town; the latter two have their own ...
. On December 10 it was reported that Donaire tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, forcing him to withdraw from the bout. He was originally scheduled to face
Nordine Oubaali Nordine Oubaali (Arabic: نوردين أوبالي) (born 4 August 1986) is a Moroccan former professional boxer who competed from 2014 to 2021. He held the WBC bantamweight title from 2019 to 2021. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the lig ...
, who was replaced by Rodríguez after Oubaali also tested positive for COVID-19. Reymart Gaballo, who was also scheduled to fight on the same day against Jose Velasquez of Chile, substituted for Donaire and will fight Rodríguez for the WBC interim title.


Donaire vs. Oubaali

On May 29, 2021, Donaire faced
Nordine Oubaali Nordine Oubaali (Arabic: نوردين أوبالي) (born 4 August 1986) is a Moroccan former professional boxer who competed from 2014 to 2021. He held the WBC bantamweight title from 2019 to 2021. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the lig ...
for the WBC bantamweight title at the
Dignity Health Sports Park Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignity ...
in
Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...
. Donaire scored a knockdown twice in the third round before finishing the bout in the fourth round with a hook-straight-uppercut combination. The referee waived off the count awarding Donaire with the win and making him the oldest fighter to win a world championship in the bantamweight division at the age of 38.


Cancelled fight with John Riel Casimero

On June 19, 2021, it was announced that Donaire would replace
Guillermo Rigondeaux Guillermo Rigondeaux Ortiz (; born 30 September 1980) is a Cuban professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the unified WBA (Super), WBO and ''Ring'' magazine super bantamweight titles between 2013 and ...
to face WBO bantamweight champion
John Riel Casimero John Riel Reponte Casimero (born February 13, 1989) is a Philippines, Filipino professional boxer and YouTuber. He has held Triple champion#Boxing, world championships in three weight classes; including the IBF junior-flyweight title from 2012 t ...
on August 14 in a unification bout. However, on June 30, Donaire announced that he would be pulling out of the fight, citing concerns over VADA testing.


Donaire vs. Inoue II

After a successful first title defense in which he knocked out Reymart Gaballo, Donaire lost his WBC bantamweight title by knockout in the second round of a unification bout with WBA and IBF bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue in a rematch on June 7, 2022. The bout was held at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and was broadcast on ESPN+. He was knocked out in the second round, after being knocked down twice.


Personal life

On August 8, 2008, Donaire married Rachel Marcial, a Filipino-American USA national collegiate and military
Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권ë„/è·†æ‹³é“ ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...
champion in a private ceremony at
Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and municipal corporation, incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its n ...
followed by a church service in the Philippines on November 11, 2011. They have two sons named Jarel Michael and Jarel Logan. Donaire's wife is a member of his teamRosenthal M
"Donaire prepares for Montiel with family rift hovering over him."
Ring tv February 16, 2011. Accessed March 6, 2012.
and her father is his chief of security. On July 4, 2013, Donaire's pregnant wife was injured while saving a drowning child. She recovered and her then-unborn second child, Logan, was unharmed.


Professional boxing record


Titles in boxing


Professional

Major world titles: *
IBF flyweight champion This is a list of world flyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often recognize up ...
(112 lbs) * WBC bantamweight champion (118 lbs) (2x) *
WBO bantamweight champion This is a list of world bantamweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often recognize ...
(118 lbs) * WBA (Super) bantamweight champion (118 lbs) * WBO super bantamweight champion (122 lbs) (2×) *
IBF super bantamweight champion This is a list of world super-bantamweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often rec ...
(122 lbs) * WBA (Undisputed) featherweight champion (126 lbs) Interim titles: *WBA
interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...
super flyweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council respond ...
champion (115 lbs) Minor world titles: * IBO flyweight champion (112 lbs) ''The Ring'' magazine titles: * ''The Ring'' super bantamweight champion (122 lbs) Regional titles: *WBO Asia Pacific flyweight champion (112 lbs) * NABF super flyweight champion (115 lbs) *WBC Continental Americas bantamweight champion (118 lbs) *NABF super bantamweight champion (122 lbs) *
WBC Silver The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...
featherweight champion (126 lbs) Honorary titles: * 2013 Flash Elorde Memorial champion * WBC Diamond super bantamweight champion *WBC Diamond bantamweight champion


Amateur

National titles: *1998 National
Silver Gloves The Silver Gloves is an annual competition for amateur boxing in the United States. The contest is sponsored by Ringside, Inc. The Silver Gloves are open to all non-professional pugilists age 10 to 15 years old. The Silver Gloves is not the Go ...
champion *1999 National Jr. Olympics champion *2000 National USA Tournament champion International titles: *1999 International Jr. Olympics champion


Recognitions

* 2007, 2011 and 2012 Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA)
Sportsman of the Year Since its inception in 1954, ''Sports Illustrated'' has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Amer ...
* 2007 ''The Ring''
Knockout of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Knockout of the Year since 1989, based on the magazine's writers' criteria. Knockouts of the Year by decade 1980s * 1989: Michael Nunn ''KO 1'' Sumbu Kalambay 1990s * 1990: Terr ...
(''in Round 5 against Vic Darchinyan'') * 2007 ''The Ring''
Upset of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has since named an Upset of the Year since 1970. The award, based on the magazine's writers' criteria, is given to a fight that resulted in an outcome that was highly contrary to general expectat ...
(''KO 5 against Vic Darchinyan'') * 2007 World Boxing Hall of Fame, Most Outstanding Boxer of the Year * 2009, 2010 & 2011 Gabriel "Flash" Elorde Memorial Boxer of the Year * 2009
Eastwood City Walk of Fame Eastwood may refer to: Places ;in Australia *Eastwood, New South Wales **Eastwood railway station **Electoral district of Eastwood *Eastwood, South Australia ;in Canada * Eastwood, Ontario *Eastwood, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood ;in the Ph ...
Awardee * 2011 ''The Ring''
Knockout of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Knockout of the Year since 1989, based on the magazine's writers' criteria. Knockouts of the Year by decade 1980s * 1989: Michael Nunn ''KO 1'' Sumbu Kalambay 1990s * 1990: Terr ...
(''in Round 2 against Fernando Montiel'') * 2011 ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' Knockout of the Year (''in Round 2 against Fernando Montiel'') * 2011
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
Knockout of the Year (''in Round 2 against Fernando Montiel'') * 2012
Boxing Writers Association of America The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) was originally formed in 1926 as the Boxing Writers Association of Greater New York. The association's purpose is to promote better working conditions for boxing writers, as well as hold its writers ...
Fighter of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Fighter of the Year since 1928, which this list covers. The award, selected by the magazine editors, is based on a boxer's performance in the ring.ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
Fighter of the Year. * 2012 ''The Ring''
Fighter of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Fighter of the Year since 1928, which this list covers. The award, selected by the magazine editors, is based on a boxer's performance in the ring.Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' Fighter of the Year. * 2012
Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...
Fighter of the Year.Lole K
"Sports 2012 Fighter of the Year."
Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...
January 9, 2013. Accessed January 14, 2013.


In popular culture

Donaire has appeared on
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
as a guest and has appeared on ''
Celebrity Duets ''Celebrity Duets'' was an American reality television show, of the progressive game-show type, which combined celebrities of different backgrounds with professional singers in a weekly elimination competition. History The show was a take-off of ...
'' in third-season episodes on GMA. Donaire is also featured in the video games
Fight Night Round 4 ''Fight Night Round 4'' is a boxing video game developed by EA Sports. It is the sequel to ''Fight Night Round 3'', released in 2006. It was released in 2009 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry. The game's featured boxers ...
and
Fight Night Champion ''Fight Night Champion'' is a boxing video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It is the fifth and last entry in the ''Fight Night'' series and was released in March 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game takes ...
.


Filmography


See also

*
List of Filipino boxing world champions The history of boxing in the Philippines is the history of boxing and the evolution and progress of the sport in the Philippines. In the Philippines, boxing is one of its most popular sports, together with basketball, due to the many accolades i ...
*
List of WBA world champions This is a list of WBA world champions, showing every world champion certified by the World Boxing Association (WBA). The list also includes champions certified by the National Boxing Association (NBA), the predecessor to the WBA. Boxers who won t ...
*
List of WBC world champions This is a list of WBC world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the World Boxing Council (WBC). The WBC is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and certifies world champions in 18 different weight cla ...
*
List of IBF world champions This is a list of IBF world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the International Boxing Federation (IBF). The IBF is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and has certified world champions in 17 diffe ...
*
List of WBO world champions This is a list of WBO world champions, showing every world champion certified by the World Boxing Organization (WBO). The WBO is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and has awarded world championships in 17 different wei ...
*
List of IBO world champions This is a list of IBO world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the International Boxing Organization (IBO) since 1993. *r – Champion relinquished title *s – Champion stripped of title Heavyweight Cruiserweight Li ...
* List of ''The Ring'' world champions *
List of flyweight boxing champions This is a list of world flyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often recognize up ...
*
List of bantamweight boxing champions This is a list of world bantamweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often recognize ...
*
List of super bantamweight boxing champions This is a list of world super-bantamweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often rec ...
*
List of featherweight boxing champions Championship recognition Public Acclamation: 1884 to 1921 Champions were recognized by wide public acclamation. A heavyweight champion was a boxer who had a notable win over another notable boxer and then went without defeat. Retirements from the ...
*
List of boxing quadruple champions A quadruple champion in boxing refers to a boxer who has won world titles in four different categories of weight. Recognition Major sanctioning bodies There is some dispute on which sanctioning body is considered "major" enough to award champions ...
* ''The Ring'' pound for pound


References


Video references


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Donaire, Nonito 1982 births Living people Boxers from California Filipino male boxers Filipino emigrants to the United States People from Bohol Sportspeople from General Santos Boxers from South Cotabato Recipients of the Order of Lakandula Participants in Philippine reality television series Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers International Boxing Federation champions World Boxing Council champions World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Organization champions World flyweight boxing champions World bantamweight boxing champions World super-bantamweight boxing champions World featherweight boxing champions American male boxers The Ring (magazine) champions Super-flyweight boxers People with acquired American citizenship