Filipino boxing legend Nonito Donaire Jr. wins interim WBA bantamweight title in a triumphant comeback

Filipino boxing legend Nonito Donaire Jr. is widely recognized as the second-best boxer to come from the Philippines after the iconic Manny Pacquiao, having won multiple world championships in four weight classes during his career.

Donaire has consistently stated that he is not done with professional boxing at the age of 42—and he proved it once again in the ring by making a successful comeback, defeating a much younger opponent, Andre Campos of Chile, on Sunday, June 15, at Casino Buenos Aires in Argentina, to become the interim World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight champion.

It’s worth noting that this was Donaire’s first professional fight since 2023, and he looked sharp throughout, landing counterpunches while using his height and reach to his advantage. However, the fight had to be stopped in the ninth round after the Filipino legend suffered a cut to his right eye from an accidental head butt, leaving the eye nearly swollen shut.

Nonito Donaire returns in style! 🇵🇭💥

The Filipino Flash looked sharp in his comeback, earning a TD win over Andrés Campos after an accidental cut brought the fight to the scorecards in the ninth round. With the victory, Donaire becomes the WBA interim bantamweight champion 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/gRUGwZN9yQ

— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) June 15, 2025

All three judges scored the bout in Donaire’s favor, with the final scorecards reading 88-83, 87-84, and 87-84—a much-needed win for “The Filipino Flash,” who entered the fight on the back of two consecutive losses to Alexandro Santiago and Naoya Inoue.

“Sorry that happened. I wanted to show my fighting heart and warrior spirit to the people of Argentina. I will do my best the next time. It’s going to be better,” Donaire said in the post-match press conference.

Donaire holds the record as the oldest World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight champion in history, after knocking out Nordine Oubaali in 2021 at the age of 38. He improved his record to 43-8, with 28 knockouts, and now joins minimumweight champions Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran as one of the active world champions from the Philippines.

While there is no confirmation of his next fight, it is understood that Donaire could face the winner of the July 30 bout between Antonio Vargas and Daigo Higa for the full bantamweight title in Yokohama, Japan.

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