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Philippines, 15 May 2021 |
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SPORTS SHORTS 99: NONITO DONAIRE FIGHTS NORDINE OUBAALI ON MAY 29 By Maloney L. Samaco PhilBoxing.com Thu, 08 Apr 2021  Former four-division world champion Nonito Donaire will mandatorily challenge WBC bantamweight world champion Nordine Oubaali on May 29 after their fight having been postponed due to Covid-19. * * * According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, Donaire and Oubaali have both signed their contracts and the fight is scheduled on May 29 on Showtime. The venue has not been finalized but it will either be at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut or in California, as reported. * * * Oubaali (17-0, 12 KOs), age 34 years of Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France was slated to make the third defense of his WBC bantamweight world title against Donaire in a Showtime main event on December 19 at the Mohegan Sun Arena but Oubaali was tested positive with Covid-19 and the fight was postponed. * * * The WBC declared Oubaali as “champion in recess” in mid-November and directed Donaire to fight former IBF bantamweight world champion Emmanuel Rodriguez, who was willing to replace the Frenchman even on short notice, for the vacant title on December 19. * * * But then Donaire was also tested positive for Covid-19 shortly before the fight and was replaced by countryman Reymart Gaballo. Rodriguez lost a controversial split decision for the vacant interim WBC bantamweight title. * * * Since Donaire and Oubaali had both missed their title fight due to the Covid-19 contamination, the WBC returned Oubaali the bantamweight title and declared he would be fighting an interim bout before clashing with Donaire for the mandatory defense. * * * Oubaali was arranged to fight former flyweight world title challenger Nawaphon Kaikanha (50-1, 40 KOs), age 29 years of Sikhio District, Thailand, on March 13 in Paris. However again due to pandemic concerns it was cancelled since Kaikanha's flight from Thailand to France was difficult due to travel restrictions. * * * That's why the Oubaali and Donaire teams moved on for their fight to be finalized and agreed with Showtime on resetting the fight for this May 29. * * * Oubaali hasn’t fought since he defeated Naoya’s brother Takuma Inoue by a lopsided unanimous decision in November 2019. Prior to that, Oubaali defeated Rau’shee Warren by a 12 round unanimous decision to claim the vacant WBC bantamweight title. * * * Inoue could face the winner of the Oubaali vs. Donaire fight, which would be a bigger match whoever is the opponent. Donaire is willing to face Inoue again to try and avenge his loss. Oubaali also would like to mix it up atop the ring with Inoue. * * * Donaire hasn’t fought for a year and a half since losing to Naoya Inoue by a unanimous decision in November 2019 in the World Boxing Super Series final in Saitama, Japan. That was a brutal fight as Inoue suffered an eye ridge fracture, a broken nose, and a bad cut. * * * Inoue evaded from a lot of Donaire’s strong left hooks, but those that hit him caused the damage to the Japanese's face. Donaire demanded a rematch, but due to obvious reasons Inoue did not grant him a second bout. Oubaali fought Takuma Inoue on the undercard of that fight. * * * In their ninth game without dynamic superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers easily defeated the Toronto Raptors 110-101 on Tuesday. Their biggest lead was 34 points. They’re now 4-5 in the games that James and Davis didn't played. * * * That game also was the Lakers’ first win over the Raptors since November 30, 2014, when Kobe Bryant scored a triple-double, Nick Young had 20 points off of the bench and the game ended in overtime. * * * The Raptors played the game with just nine players, and they were reduced to eight when OG Anunoby was ejected in the first quarter for his wrestling move on Dennis Schröder. Montrezl Harrell was also ejected for adding intensity to the situation. He played only for two minutes. * * * The Lakers were lucky enough to find scorers in the other players, especially from Talen Horton-Tucker. Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet were sidelined for that game, and Horton-Tucker was able to go through his defenders. * * * He finished the game with a team-high 17 points on 6-10 shooting from the field and 3-4 from behind the three-point arc. He now scored at least 15 points in his last three games. Seven Lakers scored at least 10 points and the team shot 49.4% from the field and 45% from behind the arc. * * * Carl Lewis won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold medals. He is one of only three Olympic athletes who won a gold medal in the same individual event, in his case the long jump, in four consecutive Olympic Games. * * * At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Lewis was entered into four events - 100 m, 200 m, 4x100 m relay and long jump - winning each of them and equalling the achievement of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He last won the long jump gold in 1996 in Atlanta. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.  |
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