Nonito Donaire will soon have another shot at a bantamweight title.
The Filipino veteran, coming off his Fight of the Year effort against 118-pound titleholder Naoya Inoue in November, is set to challenge Nordine Oubaali for the Frenchman’s WBC belt.
The fight was consummated earlier this week after TGB Promotions was the only promoter to turn in a bid ($401,000) for the bout. The fight will most likely take place on a Premier Boxing Champions card as TGB promotes the majority of PBC cards. The date and venue have not yet been determined.
Donaire (40-6, 26 KOs) lost a unanimous decision to Inoue but was lauded for his spirited performance. Donaire was expected to get blown out; instead, he tested Inoue throughout the fight, opening up a cut early on and breaking the Japanese dynamo’s nose and orbital bone.
Oubaali (17-0, 12 KOs) defeated Rau’shee Warren by a unanimous decision to win the then-vacant title in January of last year. He followed that with successful defenses against Arthur Villanueva and Takuma Inoue.
The WBC designated Donaire as Oubaali’s mandatory after Luis Nery failed to make weight for his fight against Emmanuel Dominguez on Nov. 23.