WBC Orders Nonito Donaire versus Alejandro Santiago for Vacant WBC Bantamweight Title

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

 Mexico City, Mexico (February 18th, 2023)– 24-0 Naoya Inoue of Yokohama, Japan has vacated the World Boxing Council World Bantamweight championship to move up in weight to challenge 21-0 WBC and WBO World Super Bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 The World Boxing Council and Mauricio Sulaiman has now ordered former world champion Nonito ‘The Filipino Flash’ Donaire, age 40, 42-7 with 28 knockouts, Las Vegas, Nevada, to fight the current regional Mexican Super Bantamweight champion, Alejandro Santiago, 37-3-5 with 14 knockouts, Tijuana, Mexico, for the vacant World Boxing Council World Bantamweight title.

 Former world title challenger and current WBC Silver Bantamweight champion, 25-2 Jason Maloney of Kingscliff, Australia, turned the WBC vacant world title bout down to fight for a different organization, enabling the still popular Filipino Donaire, who lost for the second time to Inoue  last June 2022 and who also lost the WBC World Bantamweight title to Inoue at that time as well, to reenter the WBC picture and gain a late chance to regain his world title.

 The WBC has also ordered that the winner of Donaire versus Santiago will fight as their first mandatory defense the winner of a bantamweight eliminator bout between 57-2-1 Nawaphon Kaikanha (Sor Rungsvisai) of Bangkok, Thailand (who lost a 12 round decision to Maloney in Melbourne, Australia, in October 2022 but who has won since), and 25-1 WBC Interim World Boxing Council World Bantamweight champion Reymart Gabalo of General Santos Sur, Philippines.

 Fight fans will be interested to see if ex-champ Nonaire, at age 40, who last won in December 2021, will be able to rise to the occasion and comeback with a world class performance against Santiago, and if so, the winner of the other mandatory bout. No dates have been proposed, and no purse bids have been offered for both WBC bouts.




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Robert Brizel - Head Boxing Correspondent
Robert Brizel - Head Boxing Correspondent
Robert is the Head Boxing Correspondent for Real Combat Media Boxing since 2013. Robert is also a photographer and ringside reporter for the RCM Tri State region which includes NJ, NY and PA. Robert conducts exclusive interviews, provides historical boxing articles and provides editorial ringside coverage of major boxing events. You can contact or follow Robert on Facebook and by email at [email protected].