Legend Nonito Donaire made more history in Argentina and became the longest-reigning bantamweight champion of all time.

A small fragment of boxing history was written this Saturday in the ring at the Casino de Buenos Aires , where Filipino Nonito Donaire , at the age of 42, won the interim bantamweight title of the World Boxing Association by defeating Chilean Andrés Campos by technical decision in the main event of the second night of the Knockout to Drugs festival, organized by the WBA.

Fourteen years have passed since Donaire defeated Omar Narváez in New York and retained the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization 118-pound titles. This Saturday, the two returned to the same ring, although the Chubut native Huracán did so as the trainer of his son, Junior, who starred in one of the preliminary bouts. A sign of the Filipino's persistence.

Fourteen years also separate Donaire from Campos, who was facing his second chance at a world title (he had lost to Englishman Sunny Edwards in June 2023 for the International Boxing Federation flyweight title).

Therefore, it was not surprising that the Chilean was faster than his opponent from the start , although he was always cautious due to the latent risk of a counterattack.

To counter the speed of his opponent , Donaire was matched with technique, grit, and power (the difference in punching power was noticeable in each clash), although his work was done in homeopathic doses. Of course, he's no longer the man who, at the beginning of the last decade, was considered by The Ring magazine as the third-best pound-for-pound fighter of his time, behind only his compatriot Manny Pacquiao and American Floyd Mayweather .

In a lackluster and highly contested fight, the Asian had built a small advantage on the scorecards over the Argentine until the ninth round, when their fourth head clash left him with significant swelling and a cut on his right eyebrow. "He can't see," explained Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabón when he decided to stop the fight after the ringside doctor examined him.

A five-minute discussion then ensued . Campos's team argued that the cut had been the result of a valid blow; Donaire's team argued that the wound had been caused by a headbutt. This was the prevailing position, although the impact of heads was considered accidental , so the scorecards had to be used to determine the winner.

Two scorecards scored 87-84 and the other 88-83, all in favor of Donaire. In this way, the Filipino Flash , who in May 2021 had become the oldest bantamweight champion in history by knocking out Frenchman Nordine Oubaali at 38 years and 194 days, broke his own record and repeated the feat at 42 years and 210 days.

The Asian improved his record, now consisting of 43 wins (29 before the limit) and 8 losses . Campos, meanwhile, suffered his third setback as a professional (he has 17 wins and 1 draw) and once again missed the chance to become the first world champion born in Chile (among women only Carolina Rodríguez, the IBF bantamweight, achieved this feat in 2014).

This Saturday, Donaire ended a 686-day layoff . His last appearance had been on July 29, 2023, when Mexican Alexandro Santiago defeated him on points in a unanimous decision in Las Vegas in a fight for the then-vacant World Boxing Council bantamweight title.

With this victory, the boxer, born in Talibon but living in the United States since 1993, added a new world title to his brilliant resume, his 11th in five categories (flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight, super bantamweight, and featherweight).

But not only will he leave Buenos Aires with a new belt, but he also became the mandatory challenger to the WBA regular 118-pound champion, Texan Antonio Vargas , who already has a defense scheduled against third-ranked Japanese Daigo Higa on July 30 in Yokohama. The winner of that fight could be Nonito's next opponent, and Nonito has announced that he plans to remain active.

The clash between Donaire and Campos allowed Argentina to host a men's world championship fight again after nearly nine years . The last time had been on November 26, 2016, at the Juan Domingo Perón Sports Center in González Catan, also as part of a Knockout of Drugs card. That night, Matanzas native Brian Castaño knocked out Puerto Rican Emmanuel De Jesús in the sixth round, claiming the interim WBA super welterweight title.