Nonito Donaire is playing with house money.
The 39-year-old wonder has been an elite fighter for around 15 years, he has won titles in four divisions, he made one of the most inspiring comebacks in recent history and he’s a future Hall of Famer. Any glory he claims going forward is almost an embarrassment of riches.
That doesn’t mean much to the bantamweight titleholder, though. He’s still determined to get the most out of the ability he has left, which might not bode well for challenger Reymart Gaballo on Saturday in Carson, California.
“I’m here enjoying this moment and every moment I have left in my career,” Donaire said. “In the gym, I feel like I can do this for another 10 years. I just take it one fight at a time and I’m grateful for every moment of it.”
Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs) was at his best more than a decade ago, starting with his sensational one-punch, fifth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Vic Darchinyan to win a flyweight belt in 2007.
The athletic, big-punching Filipino-American demolished everyone placed his path the next several years and was named 2012 Fighter of the Year after beating Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka and Jorge Arce.
He seemed unbeatable … until his opponents suddenly began to prove otherwise.
He went only 7-4 in the 11 fights after the victory over Arce, with decisive losses to Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nicholas Walters, Jessie Magdaleno and Carl Frampton. It seemed after the Frampton fight that Donaire’s days as an elite fighter were over.
Then, in 2018, he made an important decision. The losses against Walters (TKO 6) and Frampton (UD) took place at 126 pounds, at which he seemed to give up his size and power advantages. So he moved down not one, but two divisions to 118, a weight at which he hadn’t fought since 2011.
Somehow he was able to make the weight. And that turned back the clock. He stopped Ryan Burnett and Stephon Young to set up a title shot against the feared Naoya Inoue in November 2019.
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Donaire came up short on the cards in that fight – losing a unanimous decision – but the fact he pushed Inoue harder than anyone before him demonstrated that he was again at the top of his game at an age when most fighters are in retirement.
And if there was any doubt, he dispelled it by blowing out overmatched Nordine Oubaali in four rounds to win the WBC bantamweight title this past May at 38.
He doesn’t plan to stop there. A rematch with Inoue or a fight with countryman and titleholder John Riel Casimero could be in his near future.
“For me, after the Naoya Inoue fight, I saw that I still had a purpose in this sport,” he said. “I came in strong against Nordine Oubaali in my last fight because I have that purpose. That purpose is to become undisputed champion of the world.”
Is Gaballo (24-0, 20 KOs) a threat? Probably not.
The Filipino has some ability and punching power, as his knockout percentage indicates. However, many believe he received a gift decision over Emmanuel Rodriguez in his most-recent fight and he hasn’t faced anyone quite like Donaire.
And, of course, to Donaire, Gaballo is just another opponent.
“I’ve faced a lot of top guys with great power like Gaballo has,” he said. “My experience allows me to have no fear of the power. We’re just focused on our strategy and how I can take advantage of his style.
“We’re 100% ready. We build up our mental fortitude so we can always push forward and be ready. We’re only as strong as our mind can be. My mental strength is to the moon.”