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Philippines, 20 May 2026 |
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Perfect foe, perfect outcome By Joaquin Henson PhilBoxing.com Tue, 17 Jun 2025  Nonito Donaire, Jr. couldn’t have found a more perfect opponent than Andres Campos in his comeback fight after a two-year layoff. Last Saturday, Donaire displayed master class in outboxing the Chilean to win the WBA interim bantamweight title via a ninth round technical unanimous decision at Casino Buenos Aires, Argentina. Campos, only four years old when Donaire turned pro in 2001, was overwhelmed in his bantamweight debut. Before taking on Donaire, Campos had fought twice as a superflyweight, losing once and winning once. In 2023, he battled Sunny Edwards for the IBF flyweight crown at Wembley and dropped a unanimous verdict that wasn’t close. Experience was on Donaire’s side with Campos logging only 20 fights to the Filipino Flash’s 50. Physically, Campos was outsized. He’s 3 1/2 inches shorter and his reach, four inches less. At the weigh-in, Campos scaled slightly more, 118 to Donaire’s 117.9. For Donaire to tip in at less than 118 was a clear indication of his discipline. At 42, he has kept in firm control of his body. In his last eight fights since 2018, Donaire has weighed within the 118-pound bantamweight limit. Note that Donaire hadn’t fought in two years yet made weight with no difficulty. Also, Donaire had fought as a superbantamweight and featherweight in the past. When the bell rang to start hostilities, Donaire came out fighting southpaw. But after a few head clashes, he reverted to orthodox. Late in the first round, Donaire was buzzed by a butt that struck his right eye, making it puffy. Throughout the bout, Campos couldn’t figure out how to attack. He danced and circled away but found no angles with Donaire controlling distance. He charged in to push Donaire along the ropes but couldn’t hold down the Bohol native who deftly brought the action back to the center of the ring. Donaire was a little slower than usual, owing to ring rust but it didn’t matter. He unraveled a variety of dazzling combinations that put Campos constantly on the defensive. Donaire threw a left straight to the face then right hook to the body, right hook to the face then left hook to the body, double or triple left jabs and flurries of three to four punches. In the seventh, Campos was hurt by a body shot and in the eighth, took a hard right to the face. Donaire was pushed down and lost his balance in the eighth as Campos looked desperate. Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon ruled it a slip. In the ninth, another butt opened a cut over Donaire’s right eyebrow and blood dripped down the side of his face. Donaire complained he couldn’t see as his right eye socket had swelled badly and Pabon waved it off to go to the scorecards. Panamanian judge Ignacio Robles and Puerto Rican judge Jose Roberto Torres saw it 87-84 and Panamanian judge Guillermo Perez Pineda had it 88-83, all for Donaire who now awaits the winner of the July 30 bout between WBA champion Antonio Vargas and Daigo Higa in Yokohama to shoot for the throne. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.  |
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