Fast Results from LA: Nonito Donaire Reaffirms His Greatness, KOs Oubaali

Fast Results from LA: Nonito Donaire Reaffirms His Greatness, KOs Oubaali

SHOWTIME kicked off their summer schedule two weeks ago with a card at Dignity Sports Health Park in Los Angeles. The main event produced an upset when Brandon Figueroa scored a seventh-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Luis Nery.

The network returned to LA (more specifically the LA County community of Carson) for the second installment of the series and the main event once again produced an upset when 38-year-old Nonito Donaire (49-6, 27 KOs) dispelled any doubts that he is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer with a fourth-knockout of French-Morrocan southpaw Nordine Oubaali. It was the first pro loss for defending WBC world bantamweight champion Oubaali (17-1), a two-time Olympian, who was a consensus 11/5 favorite.

Donaire, whose career has been overshadowed by countryman Manny Pacquiao, found a home for his vaunted left hook in the third round, knocking Oubaali down twice. The second knockdown occurred at the bell and Oubaali was in bad shape as he returned to his corner. When Donaire put him down again in the fourth round with a combination climaxed by another left, referee Jack Reiss did not bother to count. The official time was 1:52.

Donaire formerly held two versions of this belt. Tonight, he became the oldest man to win the bantamweight title. After the fight, he expressed interest in a rematch with Naoya Inoue. Their fight on Nov. 7, 2019 in Saitama, Japan was named the TSS Fight of the Year.

Matias-Jukembayav

In a fight slated for 12, Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias (17-1, 17 KOs) inflicted the first pro loss on Batyrzhan Jukembayev (18-1, 14 KOs) who took a lot of punishment before the contest was stopped after eight rounds.

This was a high-intensity fight. Jukembayev certainly had his moments, but Matias’s punches were more damaging and his high-pressure attack eventually wore him down. Matias scored the bout’s lone knockdown in round four, but Jukembayev came back and landed some crisp punches of his own in the late stages of the round.

Matias was making his second start since suffering a shocking defeat at the hands of Petros Ananyan in February of 2020. Jukembayev, a Montreal-based Kazakh, was making his first appearance in a U.S. ring.

Russell – Santiago

In the TV opener, junior welterweight Gary Antuanne Russell had no problem turning away Jovanie Santiago whose corner pulled him out after six frames. The youngest of four fighting brothers and the second of his siblings to fight in the Olympics, Russell has won all 14 of his pro fights by stoppage. As an amateur, he won three of four from Boots Ennis.

Puerto Rico’s Santiago (14-2-1) earned this fight by acquitting himself well in defeat in his last start when he went 12 rounds as a late sub vs. Adrien Broner. In round four, Russell put him on the canvas with a right hook but Santiago weathered the storm and lasted two more rounds before his corner pulled him out. That was two rounds longer than any of Russell’s previous opponents, none of whom lasted into the fifth.

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