Nonito shoots for history against ‘champion in recess’

Sports

NONITO “The Filipino Flash” will be gunning for history when he battles Japanese Seiya Tsutsumi on Dec. 17 in Tokyo, Japan.

At stake in the fight is Tsutsumi’s World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight title.

Donaire is the division’s interim champion. A victory over Tsutsumi will make Donaire a full-fledged champion.

Should he beat Tsutsumi, Donaire will become the oldest boxer to become a bantamweight champion and the third oldest to win a world crown after Bernard Hopkins at 49 and George Foreman at 45.

Donaire will turn 43 years on Nov. 16.

Donaire has chosen Cebu as his launching pad to the ambitious goal as he has started his training camp in the Queen City of South.

Sporting a 43W-8L, 28KOs record, Donaire won the WBA bantamweight interim belt via a ninth-round technical decision win over Andre Vargas last June at the Casino Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires.

Tsutsumi, who holds a 12W-0L-3D, 8KOs card, captured the WBA belt last year after defeating Takuma Inoue via unanimous decision.

He retained the belt after his fight with Daigo Higa last February ended in a draw. He was eventually declared champion in recess to rest the injury he sustained in the fight against Higa.

With Tsutsumi inactive, Antonio Vargas was elevated as the full champion. Vargas was supposed to face Tsutsumi in a title consolidation but he had to withdraw after his mother passed away.

Vargas’ withdrawal paved the way for the Donaire-Tsutsumi duel.(CCM)