Manny Pacquiao isn’t the only Filipino boxing legend set to return to the ring in the coming weeks.
Four-division world champion Nonito Donaire is also making a comeback, five weeks before his fellow countryman.
Donaire is due to return to the ring at 42 years oldGETTY‘The Filipino Flash’ is scheduled to box Chile’s Andres Campos for the interim WBA bantamweight trinket at Casino Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Donaire (42-8) has held multiple world titles from flyweight to featherweight during an illustrious professional career stretching back to 2001.
He last fought in July 2023 when he dropped a unanimous decision loss to Alexandro Santiago for the vacant WBC bantamweight title.
Prior to that, he was stopped by Naoya Inoue in the second of a far less competitive sequel to their barnburning inaugural encounter in 2019, where Donaire pushed ‘The Monster’ all the way to the final bell.
Donaire never officially hung up his gloves and has been in negotiations with multiple divisional greats during his two-year hiatus.
Among the targeted clashes was one with future first ballot Hall of Famer Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez.
However, the fight never came to fruition.
Donaire is now eyeing a shot at the WBA bantamweight title, and with a win over Campos later this month, he will be in a prime position to challenge for the black and gold strap.
The current reigning WBA champion is Antonio Vargas, who was elevated from interim to full world champion when Seiya Tsutsumi was made ‘champion in recess’ in May due to inactivity.
Donaire previously held the WBA’s 118lbs belt when he snatched it from Northern Ireland’s Ryan Burnett in 2018 at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
Donaire fought Inoue twiceGetty ‘Pac Man’ will return to boxing in July to fight for WBC gold against Mario BarriosAFPHe successfully defended it against Stephon Young before eventually dropping it to Inoue.
While Donaire must fight for his right to a world title shot, lone eight-weight world champion Pacquiao is being thrown straight into a WBC welterweight title fight at 46 after a four-year absence from the paid ranks.
Pacquiao last fought in August 2021 when he lost convincingly on points to Yordenis Ugas.
The pair will meet on July 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Their clash has been met with significant backlash from the boxing fraternity due to the stunning 16-year gap between the pair.
talkSPORT’s Spencer Oliver has been one of the most outspoken pundits on the topic.
Ryan Hafey / PBCPacquiao is 46 years old[/caption]“Pacquiao looked a shell of his former self in his last fight against Ugas,” he said.
“He has had a long career and turned pro in 1995; he’s great, but he’s coming back now.
“But the biggest disgrace of this is that the WBC are sanctioning the fight for a world title, which is just wrong.
“I think it’s a young man’s sport, the inactivity and way he performed in his last fight. I don’t like it.
“Let’s just leave it there. But the governing bodies should only sanction fights if they are in the top fifteen.
“He’s been retired for four years, so how does that warrant him jumping the queue and fighting Barrios?
“It’s wrong in so many ways. The system is broken with the WBC allowing that to happen.”
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