38-Year-Old Nonito Donaire Stunned Nordine Oubaali With A Fourth Round Knockout

Nonito Donaire is a Hall of Famer and one of the best small fighters in history, having held titles at 112, 115, 118, 122, and 126 pounds throughout his sensational career, but at 38 years old coming off a loss in his last fight back in 2019, there was some wonder if he was still at the top of his game. On Saturday night, fighting the WBC bantamweight champion Nordine Oubaali, he answered that question emphatically with a dominant fourth round knockout of the champ to reclaim the title.

It was late in the third round where Donaire pounced on the young champ, punishing him with his vicious left hand and sending him to the canvas twice — including a somewhat controversial final knockdown right at (or, to some, after) the bell.

That punch was allowed and Oubaali was allowed to continue, but was clearly in trouble with little time to shake off the flurry that had put him down twice moments prior. In the fourth round, Donaire continued stalking Oubaali and ended the fight for good with a three punch combination along the ropes that started with a left hook, followed by a right, and a left uppercut that left Oubaali slumped against the ropes.

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With the win, Donaire, for the second time in his career, becomes the oldest bantamweight champion in boxing history, as he continues to cement his place among the greatest ever in the lighter weight classes. The 38-year-old dominated the undefeated Oubaali and put him down for the first, second, and third times in his professional career to secure the victory. Donaire looked more than sharp and now many are hoping for a rematch with Naoya Inoue, who lost the titles to Oubaali after defeating Donaire in 2019.