Nonito Gonzales Donaire Jr. ( ; ; born November 16, 1982) is a

Filipino American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, from

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

, and is the oldest boxer in history to win a

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

world title (at age 38), as well as being the first three-time champion in that weight class. Donaire has also held world championships in three consecutive decades: the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, being the sixth boxer to do so after

Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...

Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. ( ; ; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician, businessman, and professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He previously serv ...

Bernard Hopkins Bernard Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight class ...

Erik Morales Erik Isaac Morales Elvira (born September 1, 1976) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2012. He is the first Mexico-born boxer in history to quadruple champion, win world championships in four weight classes, rangin ...

, and

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (né Sinclair; born February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed between 1996 and 2017. He list of undefeated boxing world champions, retired with an undefeated record a ...

In total, Donaire has held nine world titles by the main four boxing sanctioning bodies. He has also held the

International Boxing Organization The International Boxing Organization (IBO) is a US based corporation that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and regional championships. It is an independent organization not recognized by the "big four" governing bodies ...

(IBO) flyweight title, the

World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded ...

(WBA) interim

super flyweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council responded to pressure from A ...

title, and the ''

Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

'' magazine and lineal

super bantamweight Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanct ...

titles. Donaire is popularly known as "The Filipino Flash" and is a two-time winner of ''The Ring''s

Knockout of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Knockout of the Year since 1989, based on the magazine's writers' criteria. Knockouts of the Year by decade 1980s * 1989: Michael Nunn ''KO 1'' Sumbu Kalambay see Michael Nunn v ...

award, in 2007 and 2011. He reached a peak

pound for pound Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, adjusted to compensate for weight class. As fighters in different weight classes do not compete directly, determining the best fighter pound for ...

ranking of third by ''

The Ring The Ring may refer to: Arts and entertainment *The Ring (franchise), ''The Ring'' (franchise), a Japanese horror media franchise Literature * ''The Ring'', a 1967 novel by Richard Chopping * ''The Ring'', a 1988 book by Daniel Keys Moran * ''The R ...

'' in 2011, and was named Fighter of the Year in 2012 by the

Boxing Writers Association of America Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing punches at each other for a ...

Early life

Donaire was born in Talibon, Bohol, Philippines, the third of four children to Nonito C. Donaire Sr. (born 1959,

South Cotabato South Cotabato, officially the Province of South Cotabato, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen Regions of the Philippines, region in Mindanao. Its capital is Koronadal (also the regional cen ...

) and Imelda M. Gonzales (born 1950, Talibon). His older brother is former boxer

Glenn Donaire Glenn Gonzales Donaire (born December 7, 1979) is a Filipino American former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2012, and challenged twice for world titles at flyweight and light flyweight. He is the older brother of former four-weigh ...

,"Nonito Donaire Jr.: Star on the rise."
Philstar.com August 24, 2009. Accessed April 14, 2013.Dixon T
"Nonito Donaire: The Sadness Behind the Smile."
''

Boxing News ''Boxing News'' is a British weekly boxing magazine published by iD Sports Media. It is the oldest boxing magazine still in publication. History John Murray, a regular contributor to ''Health & Strength'' magazine, convinced its owner, Bill Ber ...

'' January 6, 2011. Accessed March 6, 2012. and his cousin is former boxer Richard Donaire.Varella B
"Lumacad: Redemption Starts With A Donaire."
Eastside boxing.com August 25, 2009. Accessed August 25, 2009. Until he was six years of age, Donaire lived in

General Santos General Santos, officially the City of General Santos and abbreviated as GenSan, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippines, region of Soccsksargen, Philippines. According to ...

and attended the same school as future eight-division world champion,

."Hunger has Donaire going up in weight."

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...

August 13, 2009. Accessed April 14, 2013. Donaire was a child of small stature and was

bullied Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...

.Reyes M
"Champ who nearly took his own life because of bullies now looks forward to bigger foes."
''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' October 21, 2011. Accessed March 6, 2012.Chong M
"Nonito Donaire's Wife Speaks."
My Boxing Fans.com February 15, 2011. Accessed March 6, 2012.Borges R
"No one's bullying Donaire any longer."
ESPN.com November 27, 2007. Accessed March 7, 2012. Donaire's father was an amateur boxer who competed in the U.S. in the early 1990s. His paternal grandfather was born in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, and this gave Donaire American citizenship under the principle of ''

jus Sanguinis ( or , ), meaning 'right of blood', is a principle of nationality law by which nationality is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents. Children at birth may be nationals of a particular state if either or both of thei ...

''."Q&A: Nonito Donaire."
RingTV November 5, 2013. Accessed July 19, 2015. In 1993, at the age of eleven, Donaire joined his father in

Van Nuys Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1 ...

, California. They later lived in

San Leandro, California San Leandro (Spanish language, Spanish for "Leander of Seville, St. Leander") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland, California, Oakland to the northwe ...

.Reyes M
"Waiting in the wings."
''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded broad ...

'' March 3, 2012. Accessed March 6, 2012. and

San Mateo County, California San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City, California, Redwood City is th ...

.Henson J
"Donaire goes for broke against overweight foe."
''

The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

'' August 16, 2009. Accessed March 6, 2012. Donaire said that during his childhood he wished for more attention from his parents and, after his brother started boxing, the attention was given to him. This was his reason for entering the sport of boxing at the age of eleven even though he did not enjoy it. His father supported his choice as he felt it would keep Donaire off the streets. Santoliquito J.br>"Nonito Donaire Q&A."
''

'' August 13, 2009. Accessed March 7, 2012. During their younger years, Donaire and Glenn would spar. Donaire also watched videos of his hero,

Alexis Argüello Alexis Argüello (April 19, 1952 – July 1, 2009) was a Nicaraguan professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 1995, and later became a politician. He was a three-weight world champion, having held the WBA featherweight title from 1974 to 19 ...

, and from them he learned to throw a powerful left hook. While enrolled at the San Lorenzo High School in

San Lorenzo, California San Lorenzo (Spanish language, Spanish for "Saint Lawrence, Saint Laurence") is a census-designated place, census-designated place (CDP) located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area in Alameda County, ...

, both Nonito and Glenn won several regional and district amateur boxing championships. In his first amateur bout, Nonito beat his opponent with straight punches, all the while thinking that "I'm going to kill him before he kills me." However, Donaire had little confidence until he had five professional knockout victories.

Amateur career

As a young

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

, Donaire won three U.S. national championships: the National Silver Gloves (1998), National Junior Olympics (1999) and the National USA Tournament (2000). He also won the 1999 International Junior Olympics gold medal. Donaire's amateur record was 68–8 with 5 technical knockouts (TKOs).

Professional career

In 2001, Donaire and his brother became professional boxers. They signed contracts with a promoter, Jackie Kallen. Donaire was paid a monthly salary of $1,500. In 2001, after a controversial decision, Donaire lost his second fight against Rosendo Sanchez. This impassioned him to win his fights which he did until April 2013. After four professional bouts, Donaire and his brother left their contracts with Kallen and returned to Manila and then to San Leandro, where there were fewer distractions.

Early years

On September 9, 2002, in

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

, Donaire won his first regional title, the vacant

WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxin ...

Asia Pacific

title. He knocked out Kaichon Sor Vorapin in the second round. On January 20, 2006, Donaire won his second regional title, the NABF super flyweight title, by defeating Kahren Harutyunyan via split decision (SD) on ShoBox. Two judges scored the bout 97–92 for Donaire while the third scored it 95–94 for Harutyunan. On October 7, 2006, Donaire defeated Oscar Andrade, a veteran boxer, by

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...

(UD) with the scorecards reading 118–109, 116–112, and 116–112.

Flyweight

Donaire vs. Darchinyan

On July 7, 2007, Donaire won the IBF and IBO flyweight titles with a one-punch, fifth-round

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

(KO) of the then undefeated

Vic Darchinyan Vakhtang "Vic" Darchinyan (; born 7 January 1976) is an Armenian former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2017. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweigh ...

. This victory was awarded ''

Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...

's'' "Knockout of the Year" and "Upset of the Year". On July 31, 2007, Donaire met Philippine President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

. Donaire said the experience was, "an overwhelming feeling. It was indescribable. The moment I walked up the stairs and she was up there and when I looked it was a moment when I couldn't even look at her face. It was a great honor." Then, on December 1, 2007, Donaire made the first defense of his IBF and IBO titles against Luis Maldonado of Mexico, winning via

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

(TKO) in the eighth round. Donaire said, "I guess my validation was today but I didn't feel my best; I felt sluggish. I didn't have my legs. I don't know what the problem was. I couldn't move well so I tried to rely on my upper body movement." In late June 2008, Donaire severed his association with his promoter, Gary Shaw. Donaire had not been offered the number of fights his contract demanded. Shaw also failed to disclose revenue from fights as demanded by the

Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, commonly referred to as the Ali Act, is a federal law that was introduced in 1999 and enacted on May 26, 2000, by the 106th Congress to: # Protect the rights and welfare of boxers. # Aid state boxing commiss ...

. Days after leaving Gary Shaw Productions, Donaire signed a contract with

Top Rank Boxing Top Rank, Inc. is a boxing promotional company founded by Jabir Herbert Muhammad and Bob Arum, which was incorporated in 1973, and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since its founding, Top Rank has promoted many world class fighters, including M ...

Donaire vs. Mthalane

On November 2, 2008, Donaire made the second defense of his titles with a sixth-round (1:31) TKO of

Moruti Mthalane Moruti Mthalane (born 6 October 1982) is a South African former professional boxer. He is a two-time IBF flyweight champion, having held the title between 2009 and 2021. He also held the IBO flyweight title from 2014 to 2017. Professional ca ...

. Although Donaire's asthma condition was well managed in general, after his illness in the Mthalane fight, Donaire became estranged from his father who did not acknowledge the medical problem. On April 19, 2009, Donaire faced Raul Martinez, for a third defense of his titles at the

Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose arena, sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Quezon City#Cubao, Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

, Philippines. Donaire scored a TKO in the fourth round (2:42). For this match, Donaire was trained by the Peñalosa brothers:

Gerry Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice pres ...

, Dodie Boy and Jonathan. After the match, Donaire was recorded in the

Ring Magazine pound for pound The following tables show the professional boxers listed in the latest top-10 pound for pound world rankings published by each of: * ''The Ring'' magazine * Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA — men only) * Transnational Boxing Ranking ...

rankings in seventh position.

Super flyweight

The International Boxing Federation ordered a rematch between Donaire and the previous challenger, Moruti Mthalane to take place by August 1, 2009. However, Donaire, now wished to move up to the

division.

Donaire vs. Concepción

Donaire was to fight Hugo Fidel Cazares on August 15, 2009, but negotiations failed. Rafael Concepción replaced Cazares as Donaire's opponent for the WBA interim super flyweight title Donaire hired a conditioning coach, Mike Bazzel, to assist Dodie Boy and Jonathan Peñalosa in his training at the Undisputed Boxing Gym, San Carlos. Donaire dedicated his fight against Concepcion to the memory of Corazon "Cory" Aquino and requested

Everlast Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage names Everlast and Whitey Ford, is an American Rapping, rapper, Singing, singer, and songwriter who was the Lead vocalist, frontman for Hip hop music, hip hop group House of Pain. ...

, a boxing equipment company, provide a yellow robe with the inscription "I. M. O. (in memory of) former Pres. Cory Aquino." Concepcion failed to weigh in within the super flyweight limit of , meaning the title would only be on the line for Donaire. He captured the title via twelve-round UD. After his win, Donaire was honored in a motorcade in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

organised by

Alfredo Lim Alfredo "Fred" Siojo Lim (; December 21, 1929 – August 8, 2020) was a Filipino politician, police officer and lawyer who served as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator of the Philippines from 2004 to 2007, He also served as the 20th Mayor of ...

, the mayor. In late 2009, Donaire began training under Robert Garcia.

Donaire vs. Vargas

On February 13, 2010, Donaire fought Manuel Vargas in the first defense of his WBA interim title. The fight took place at the

Las Vegas Hilton The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is a hotel, casino, and timeshare resort in Winchester, Nevada. Located near the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, it is owned by Westgate Resorts. It opened in 1969 as the International Hotel, and was ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. Vargas, a late replacement for Gerson Guerrero, had to move up three weight divisions in order to participate. The bout headlined the card titled "Pinoy Power 3." Donaire won the fight with a third-round (1:33) KO. After the fight, Donaire planned to move up to the

division and expressed his wish to fight Vic Darchinyan and

Fernando Montiel Fernando Montiel Martínez (born March 1, 1979) is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a multiple-time former world champion in three weight classes, having held the WBO flyweight title from 2001 to 2002, the WBO junior bantamweight title twi ...

, but neither bout took place.

Donaire vs. Márquez

Donaire fought his last bout in the super flyweight division against

Hernán Márquez Hernán Márquez Beltrán (born September 4, 1988), commonly known by his nickname " Tyson" Márquez, is a Mexican professional boxer. He held the WBA flyweight title from 2011 to 2012, and has challenged once for the WBA interim super flyweig ...

. The fight was on the

undercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

of the Juan Manuel López and

Bernabe Concepcion Bernabe "Abe" Concepcion (born 1988) is a retired Filipino featherweight boxer. Concepcion resides in Rizal, Viga, Catanduanes, Philippines. Being from a boxing-oriented family, he trained from a young age. He turned professional at the age of 1 ...

bout on July 10, 2010, at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

. Donaire had challenged

Eric Morel Eric Morel (born October 1, 1975) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. He is a former World Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight (112 lb) champion. Amateur career Morel had an outstanding amateur career, and was the National Golden Gloves Lig ...

who declined. Donaire won the match with a TKO in the eighth round.Gregory S
"Donaire stops Marquez in 8."
BoxingNews24.com July 11, 2010. Accessed July 11, 2010.Vester M
"Nonito Donaire Blasts Out Hernan Marquez in Eight."
BoxingScene.com July 10, 2010. Accessed July 11, 2010.

Bantamweight

Following his win against Márquez, Donaire stated his intention to compete in the bantamweight division () by challenging unified WBC and WBO champion,

.Thomas E
"Donaire to fight Montiel in November."
BoxingNews24.com July 11, 2010. Accessed July 13, 2010.Satterfield L
"Arum: If Donaire Beats Montiel, Vasquez Jr. is Next."
BoxingScene.com July 13, 2010. Accessed July 13, 2010.

Donaire vs. Sydorenko

On December 4, 2010, Donaire challenged the former

WBA bantamweight champion This is a list of world bantamweight boxing champions, as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). The WBA often recognize ...

Volodymyr Sydorenko Volodymyr Sydorenko (; born 23 September 1976), also known as Wladimir Sidorenko, is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2010, and held the WBA bantamweight title from 2005 to 2008. As an amateur, he won a silver meda ...

for the vacant WBC Continental Americas bantamweight title. Donaire knocked down Sydorenko three times and became the first man to defeat the boxer. The win against Sydorenko gave Donaire the chance to face Montiel.

Donaire vs. Montiel

On February 19, 2011, Donaire defeated Montiel in the second round to capture the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles. Donaire took a right to the head from Montiel, then immediately countered with a left to the head that knocked his opponent down. Montiel rose to continue before Donaire rushed over to land a left and a right. The referee, Russell Mora, stopped the fight at 2:25 of the second round."HBO Boxing: Fernando Montiel vs. Nonito Donaire Highlights (HBO)"

HBO Sports Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based ...

, March 1, 2011. Accessed March 7, 2012. He was given a third place in Ring Magazine's "pound for pound" rankings. Juan Manuel Marquez and Sergio Martínez were ahead of him. On February 28, 2011, resolutions moved by

Pia Cayetano Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano (; born March 22, 1966) also known as Pia Compañera Cayetano, is a Filipino politician, lawyer, economist, athlete, and television host serving as a Senator since 2019, a position she previously held from 2004 ...

and Manuel Lapid were passed by the senate of the Philippines that Donaire be congratulated and commended for being an outstanding Filipino boxer and for bringing honor and pride to the country.

Donaire vs. Narváez

On October 22, 2011, Donaire made his

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

debut, beating the previously undefeated two-division world champion, Omar Narváez, via UD at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

in New York.

Super bantamweight

Donaire vs. Vázquez Jr.

In 2012, Donaire fought

Wilfredo Vázquez Jr Wilfredo is a given name which may refer to: *Wilfredo Alicdan (born 1965), Filipino figurative artist *Wilfredo Alvarado (born 1970), Venezuelan football defender * Wilfredo Bustillo Castellanos (born 1958), Honduran politician *Willy Caballero (b ...

. After twelve rounds, Donaire had scores of 117–110 and 117–110. Surprisingly, the third judge scored 115–112 in favour of Vázquez Jr. Donaire landed sixty percent of his power shots and out-landed Vázquez Jr in rounds one to five and seven to twelve and was awarded the WBO super bantamweight title. In the ninth round, Vázquez Jr. was knocked down for the first time in his professional career."Nonito Donaire."
HBO Sports October 1, 2012. Accessed October 13, 2012.

Donaire vs. Mathebula

On July 7, 2012, Donaire fought in a unification bout against IBF super bantamweight champion Jeffrey Mathebula. Donaire's progress of 28–1 with 18 knockouts was matched with Mathebula's of 26–3 with two draws and 14 knockouts. It was possible the two boxers' super bantamweight world titles would be unified. The bout was televised live on ''

HBO Boxing After Dark ''Boxing After Dark'' is an HBO boxing program, premiered on February 3, 1996, that usually showed fights between well-known contenders, but usually not "championship" or "title" fights. Unlike its sister program, ''HBO World Championship Boxing ...

'' from the Home Depot centre in

Carson, California Carson is a city in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and the Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International ...

. Donaire defeated Mathebula by UD, knocking him down in round four and breaking his jaw in two places.

Donaire vs. Nishioka

On October 13, 2012, in Carson, California, Donaire fought

Toshiaki Nishioka is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2012. He held the WBC super-bantamweight title from 2008 to 2012, and challenged for the WBO and ''The Ring'' super-bantamweight titles in his final-fight. Nishioka is known for ...

who had been ranked first in his division by ''Ring'' magazine. Donaire officially relinquished the IBF super bantamweight title hours before the fight by declining to participate in the IBF's mandated weight check. When, by the ninth round, Nishioka had been knocked down twice, his

cornerman In combat sports, a cornerman, or second, is a coach or trainer assisting a fighter during a bout. The cornerman is forbidden to instruct and must remain outside the combat area during the round. In the break, they are permitted to enter the r ...

asked the referee to end the fight, handing Donaire a TKO victory to retain his WBO title and capture the vacant ''Ring'' magazine super bantamweight title. The purse from this bout and his contract with HBO earned Donaire 800,000 dollars.Reyes M
"Nonito still chasing PPV fighter status."
Philippine Daily Inquirer October 14, 2012. Accessed October 19, 2012.

Donaire vs. Arce

On December 15, 2012, in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Donaire retained his titles against

Jorge Arce Jorge Armando Arce Armenta (; born July 27, 1979), best known as Jorge Arce, is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2014. He is a multiple-time world champion, and the second boxer from Mexico to win world titles in ...

with a third-round KO. Donaire had already knocked down Arce in the second and third rounds.

Donaire vs. Rigondeaux

On April 13, 2013, Donaire fought WBA (Super) champion

Guillermo Rigondeaux Guillermo Rigondeaux Ortiz (; born 30 September 1980) is a Cuban professional boxer. Who held the unified WBA (Super), WBO and '' Ring'' magazine super bantamweight titles between 2013 and 2017, and the WBA (Regular) bantamweight title fro ...

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

in New York. Donaire knocked Rigondeaux down once in the tenth round en route to a UD defeat, losing his WBO and ''Ring'' titles and ending his twelve-year winning streak.

Featherweight

Donaire vs. Darchinyan II

In November 2013, Donaire fought Vic Darchinyan in non-title fight that was a rematch of their 2007 fight. The bout was on the undercard of a

Mikey Garcia Miguel Angel Garcia Cortez (born December 15, 1987), best known as Mikey Garcia, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2021. He held multiple world championships in four weight classes from featherweight to light w ...

vs. Román Martínez. Donaire started strong, but Darchinyan mounted a comeback in the middle rounds to take the lead on two of the official scorecards. However, in the ninth round, Donaire was able to drop Darchinyan with a left hook. Although he was able to beat the count, Darchinyan wasn't able to intelligently defend himself, prompting the referee to stop the fight (2:06).Rafael D
"Garcia, Donaire get it done differently."
ESPN.go.com November 9, 2013. Accessed November 10, 2013.

Donaire vs. Vetyeka

On May 31, 2014, Donaire fought

Simpiwe Vetyeka Simpiwe Vetyeka (born 24 December 1980) is a South African professional boxer. He is a former WBA (Undisputed) and IBO featherweight champion, as well as a former IBO super bantamweight champion. Vetyeka's career came to an end after he broke ...

for the WBA (Super) featherweight title at

The Venetian Macao The Venetian Macao () is a hotel and casino resort in Macau, China owned by the American Las Vegas Sands company. The 39-story structure on Macau's Cotai Strip has of floor space, and is modeled on its sister casino resort The Venetian Las Ve ...

Hotel & Resort's

CotaiArena The Venetian Arena (previously known as the Cotai Arena) is an indoor arena located on the premises of The Venetian Macao, on the Cotai Strip, in Macau, China. It opened in 2007 and has a seating capacity of 14,000. The facility was known as Ve ...

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

. Donaire knocked down Vetyeka in the fourth round after landing his signature left hook. The fight was stopped seconds after the bell for the fifth round due to a cut on Donaire's left eye from an accidental head butt. Donaire won the bout via unanimous

technical decision A technical decision is a term used in boxing when a fight has to be stopped because of a headbutt. In mixed martial arts, a technical decision occurs when a fighter is rendered unable to continued by a foul and the majority of the final round ha ...

(TD). Donaire became the second Filipino (after

) to win championships in four weight divisions.

Donaire vs. Walters

On October 18, 2014, Donaire made the first defense of his WBA (Super) title against undefeated

WBA (Regular) The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded i ...

champion Nicholas Walters. The fight took place in Carson, California, on the undercard of the

Gennady Golovkin Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin (; also spelled Gennady; born 8 April 1982), often known by his nickname "GGG" or "Triple G", is a Kazakhstani professional boxer. He has held multiple middleweight world championships, and is a two-time former u ...

vs.

Marco Antonio Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (born June 16, 1980) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2015. He held the WBC interim middleweight title in 2014, and challenged twice for a middleweight world title in 2009 and 2012. Profes ...

bout. Donaire started strong and rocked Walters heavily early on, but than was dropped twice later on. Donaire wanted to continue but the referee decided to stopped the fight.

Return to super bantamweight

On March 28, 2015, Donaire returned to the super bantamweight division and defeated William Prado in two rounds to secure the vacant NABF super bantamweight title at the

in the Philippines. A flurried attack had Prado dazed at the end of the first round. Donaire continued his attack at the beginning of the second round and the fight was stopped. On July 18, 2015, Donaire also defeated Anthony Settoul in two rounds via stoppage at The Venetian Macao in Macau.

Donaire vs. Juarez

On December 11, 2015, Donaire reclaimed the vacant WBO super bantamweight title, defeating Cesar Juarez by UD. The fight was controlled by Donaire early on, dropping the Mexican brawler twice, but Juarez showed good punch resistance to keep going. Donaire began to slow down due to fatigue and an ankle injury, as Juarez picked up the pressure. The latter rounds were much closer as the fight turned into a slugfest and a 'fight of the year' candidate, it ended with both fighters exhausted and swinging wildly at the final bell. Donaire defended the WBO title successfully against

Zsolt Bedak Zsolt () is a Hungarian masculine given name, originally a variant of ''Solt''. Related names * Zsolt: old Hungarian personal name, with an identical origin to the names ''Zoltán'', ''Zsolt'' and possibly ''Csolt''. Derived from the old Turkish w ...

via third-round TKO in Cebu City, Philippines on April 23, 2016.

Donaire vs. Magdaleno

Donaire lost to

Jessie Magdaleno Jesús Gabriel "Jessie" Magdaleno (born November 8, 1991) is an American professional boxer who held the WBO junior featherweight title from 2016 to 2018. He is the younger brother of boxer Diego Magdaleno. Amateur career Magdaleno was one of t ...

by controversial decision. The bout was the co-main event to

Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas, billed as ''The Legend/The Champ'', was a boxing match contested on November 5, 2016, for the WBO and ''Lineal'' welterweight championship. The event took place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. ...

PPV bout on November 5, 2016. This marked the first time Donaire and Pacquiao, the two biggest boxing stars to come out of the Philippines, have ever shared the same card.

Return to featherweight

On March 8, 2017, Top Rank and Donaire agreed to end their partnership after an eight-year run with only about a month remaining in the contract. On July 25, 2017, Donaire signed with

Richard Schaefer Richard Schaefer is a Swiss professional boxing promoter who is the current president of Anthem Sports Group. He was the former CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, which he left in 2014. In 2016 he founded his own boxing promotional company Ringstar S ...

's Ringstar Sports. On September 23, 2017, Donaire returned to featherweight and defeated Ruben Garcia Hernandez via UD to win the vacant WBC Silver featherweight title at the

Alamodome The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 milli ...

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

Donaire vs. Frampton

In December 2017, Donaire came up as a potential opponent for

Carl Frampton Carl Frampton (born 21 February 1987) is a Northern Irish former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2021. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBA (super) super bantamweight title in 2016, and the IBF su ...

after the announcement from promoter Frank Warren. Negotiations began on December 19, 2017, between Donaire's promoter, Ringstar Sports, and Warren. On December 21, 2017, the fight was officially announced for April 21, 2018, at the

SSE Arena, Belfast The Odyssey Complex, consisting of Odyssey Place and the SSE Arena, is a sports, entertainment and science learning complex located within the Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The concept of the complex originated in 1992 and was ...

, Northern Ireland by Warren via the

BoxNation BoxNation was a British dedicated boxing subscription television channel, operated by Viaplay. The brand is licensed from George Warren's Queensbury Commercial. History BoxNation was launched by Frank Warren Promotions as a free-to-air channe ...

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

page. In a close fight Frampton beat Donaire via controversial Unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 117–111 for Frampton. Frampton spend most of the fight on the backfoot. In the second half of the fight, Donaire had more success, hurting Frampton on a number of occasions, landing a hard left hook in round eleven. Donaire was cut over his right after an accidental clash of heads in round seven, with the referee failing to call a time-out. After the fight, Frampton said on live television, "I didn't have to get involved in a fight there, as you saw in the last round Nonito Donaire is a dangerous motherfucker." According to

CompuBox CompuBox is a computerized punch-tracking system widely used in professional boxing to provide statistical analysis of matches. Established in 1985, it has become an integral tool for broadcasters and analysts, offering viewers quantitative data o ...

Stats, Frampton landed 164 of 557 punches thrown (29.4%) and Donaire landed 104 of his 447 thrown (23.3%).

Return to bantamweight

World Boxing Super Series

On May 9, 2018, at a news conference in London, the

World Boxing Super Series The World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) is a professional boxing tournament organised by Comosa AG. Each weight class features eight boxers competing in an annual knockout competition with the champion from each weight class taking the Muhammad Al ...

(WBSS) announced that season two would include the bantamweights.

Donaire vs. Burnett

The draft gala for the WBSS took place in Moscow on July 20, 2018. Donaire was chosen by top-seeded

Ryan Burnett Ryan Burnett (born 21 May 1992) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 2013 to 2019. He was a unified bantamweight world champion, having held the WBA (Unified) and IBF titles between 2017 and 2018. At regional level he held ...

as his opponent in the quarter finals. On September 7, 2018, the WBSS announced a doubleheader would take place at

The SSE Hydro The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland. The arena was initially named The Scottish Hydro Arena after its main sponsor Scottish Hydro Electric. During construction, Scottish ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

on November 3, 2018. The card would see Burnett vs. Donaire as well as the quarter final fight from the super-lightweight tournament which would see

Josh Taylor Josh or Joshua Taylor may refer to: * Josh Taylor (actor) (born 1943), American comedy and dramatic television actor * Josh Taylor (baseball) (born 1993), American professional baseball pitcher * Josh Taylor (boxer) (born 1991), Scottish professi ...

go up against Ryan Martin. Burnett looked to have taken the first two rounds as Donaire reset on the third and began to box smarter. During the third round, Burnett received a counter left-hook to the body and felt the after effects. During the fourth round, Burnett reached for his lower back after throwing a combination of punches, an exchange which was counted as a knock down for Donaire. Burnett survived the round but failed to answer the bell for round five. Donaire showed respect to Burnett by going straight to Burnett's corner to give him some words of encouragement instead of celebrating. Donaire captured the WBA (Super) bantamweight title and moved on to the semifinals of the WBSS to face WBO champion

Zolani Tete Zolani Tete (born 8 March 1988) is a South African professional boxer. He is a former two-weight world champion, having held the IBF junior-bantamweight title from 2014 to 2015 and the WBO bantamweight title from 2017 to 2019. Early life and ...

Donaire vs. Young

On April 27, 2019, Nonito Donaire faced #5-ranked WBA contender Stephon Young, a last-minute replacement for Tete, who had to withdraw from the bout out due to a shoulder injury. The fight was held at the

Cajundome The Cajundome is a 13,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Lafayette, Louisiana on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. It is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's basketball programs in addition to hosting v ...

in Lafayette,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, and the winner was set to face either WBA (Regular) bantamweight champion

Naoya Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, and is one of only three male boxers in history (along with Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk) to become the undisputed champion in two weigh ...

or IBF bantamweight champion

Emmanuel Rodríguez Emmanuel Rodríguez Vázquez (born August 8, 1992) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who has held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight title twice between 2018 and 2024. As an amateur he represented Puerto Rico at the 2010 ...

. Donaire made use of his jab to outbox Young in the succeeding rounds and put a final stamp in the sixth round with a counter-left hook that landed flush on Young's jaw, immediately knocking him out.

Donaire vs. Inoue

On November 8, 2019, Donaire faced

for the WBSS final in Japan. Donaire lost his title and the bout by UD. During the second round, Donaire opened a cut above Inoue's right eye after landing a left hook. In the eleventh round, Donaire was knocked down after absorbing a body shot. The bout was scored 117–109, 116–111, and 114–113 in favor of Inoue. After the fight, Donaire and Inoue showed each other mutual respect, with Inoue lauding Donaire as "a true champion." The fight was later voted

the Ring magazine Fight of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Fight of the Year since 1945. Fights of the Year by decade 1940s *1945 Rocky Graziano KO 10 Red Cochrane I *1946 Tony Zale KO 6 Rocky Graziano I *1947 Rocky Graziano KO 6 Tony ...

Cancelled fight with Rodríguez

Donaire was scheduled to face Emmanuel Rodríguez for the WBC bantamweight title on December 19, 2020, at the

Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in the Uncasville, Connecticut, Uncasville area of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurab ...

Montville, Connecticut Montville is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 18,387 at the 2020 census. The villages of Chesterfield, Mohegan, Oakdale, and Uncasvi ...

. On December 10 it was reported that Donaire tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, forcing him to withdraw from the bout. He was originally scheduled to face

Nordine Oubaali Nordine Oubaali (Arabic: نوردين أوبالي) (born 4 August 1986) is a Moroccan-French former professional boxer who competed from 2014 to 2021. He held the WBC bantamweight title from 2019 to 2021. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in ...

, who was replaced by Rodríguez after Oubaali also tested positive for COVID-19. Reymart Gaballo, who was also scheduled to fight on the same day against Jose Velasquez of Chile, substituted for Donaire and will fight Rodríguez for the WBC interim title.

Donaire vs. Oubaali

On May 29, 2021, Donaire faced

for the WBC bantamweight title at the

Dignity Health Sports Park Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...

. Donaire scored a knockdown twice in the third round before finishing the bout in the fourth round with a hook-straight-uppercut combination. The referee waived off the count awarding Donaire with the win and making him the oldest fighter to win a world championship in the bantamweight division at the age of 38.

Cancelled fight with John Riel Casimero

On June 19, 2021, it was announced that Donaire would replace

to face WBO bantamweight champion

John Riel Casimero John Riel Reponte Casimero (born February 13, 1989) is a Filipino professional boxer and YouTuber. He has held world championships in three weight classes including the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-flyweight title from 2012 to ...

on August 14 in a unification bout. However, on June 30, Donaire announced that he would be pulling out of the fight, citing concerns over VADA testing.

Donaire vs. Inoue II

After a successful first title defense in which he knocked out Reymart Gaballo, Donaire lost his WBC bantamweight title by knockout in the second round of a unification bout with WBA and IBF bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue in a rematch on June 7, 2022. The bout was held at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and was broadcast on ESPN+. He was knocked out in the second round, after being knocked down twice. This was Donaire's first and only KO loss at bantamweight.

Donaire vs. Santiago

Soon after Naoya Inoue moved up in weight and vacated his bantamweight titles, it was announced that the WBC had approved Donaire vs.

Alexandro Santiago Agustín Alexandro Santiago Barrios (born 7 February 1996) is a Mexican professional boxer. He held the WBC bantamweight title from July 2023 to February 2024. Professional career WBC bantamweight champion After Naoya Inoue moved up to super ba ...

for the vacant WBC bantamweight title. On July 13, 2023, it was announced that the bout would take place on the undercard of

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford, billed as ''Undefeated. Undisputed. Unprecedented.'', was a welterweight professional boxing match between unified WBA (Super), WBC and IBF champion, Errol Spence Jr., and WBO champion, Terence Crawford ...

on July 29. This was Donaire's first fight since suffering a brutal KO loss to Inoue and was coming from 14 months of inactivity. In a very close fight Donaire lost the bout against Santiago via unanimous decision with the scorecard of 115–113, 116–112, 116–112.

Personal life

On August 8, 2008, Donaire married Rachel Marcial, a Filipino-American USA national collegiate and military

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

champion in a private ceremony at

Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,220, down from 3,722 a ...

followed by a church service in the Philippines on November 11, 2011. They have two sons. Donaire's wife is a member of his teamRosenthal M
"Donaire prepares for Montiel with family rift hovering over him."
Ring tv February 16, 2011. Accessed March 6, 2012. and her father is his chief of security. On July 4, 2013, Donaire's pregnant wife was injured while saving a drowning child. She recovered and her then-unborn second child was unharmed. Until 2023, Donaire only held United States citizenship, limiting his ability to legally stay in the Philippines. On August 14, 2023, Donaire reacquired his

Filipino citizenship Philippine nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of the Philippines. The two primary pieces of legislation governing these requirements are the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines and the 1939 Revised Natural ...

Professional boxing record

Titles in boxing

Professional

Major world titles: * IBF flyweight champion (112 lbs) * WBC bantamweight champion (118 lbs) (3x) * WBO bantamweight champion (118 lbs) * WBA (Super) bantamweight champion (118 lbs) * WBO super bantamweight champion (122 lbs) (2×) * IBF super bantamweight champion (122 lbs) * WBA (Undisputed) featherweight champion (126 lbs) ''The Ring'' magazine titles: * ''The Ring'' super bantamweight champion (122 lbs) Interim world titles: * WBA interim

champion (115 lbs) * WBA interim

champion (118 lbs) Minor world titles: * IBO flyweight champion (112 lbs) Regional titles: *

Asia Pacific

champion (112 lbs) * NABF

champion (115 lbs) * WBC Continental Americas

champion (118 lbs) *NABF

champion (122 lbs) *

WBC Silver The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

champion (126 lbs) Honorary titles: * 2013 Flash Elorde Memorial champion * WBC Diamond bantamweight champion *WBC Diamond super bantamweight champion

Amateur

National titles: *1998 National

Silver Gloves The Silver Gloves is an annual competition for amateur boxing in the United States. The contest is sponsored by Ringside, Inc. The National Silver Gloves Association was started in Illinois in 1967 by Frank Hess and Frank Granados. The Silver ...

champion *1999 National Jr. Olympics champion *2000 National USA Tournament champion International titles: *1999 International Jr. Olympics champion

Recognitions

* 2007, 2011 and 2012 Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA)

Sportsman of the Year Since its inception in 1954, ''Sports Illustrated'' has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Ame ...

* 2007 ''The Ring''

(''in Round 5 against Vic Darchinyan'') * 2007 ''The Ring''

Upset of the Year ''The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has since named an Upset of the Year since 1970. The award, based on the magazine's writers' criteria, is given to a fight that resulted in an outcome that was highly contrary to general expectati ...

(''KO 5 against Vic Darchinyan'') * 2007 World Boxing Hall of Fame, Most Outstanding Boxer of the Year * 2009, 2010 & 2011 Gabriel "Flash" Elorde Memorial Boxer of the Year * 2009

Eastwood City Walk of Fame The Eastwood City Walk of Fame or the Walk of Fame Philippines is a walk of fame patterned after the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and is located in Eastwood City, Quezon City. It was founded on December 1, 2005. As German Moreno's home network, ...

Awardee * 2011 ''The Ring''

(''in Round 2 against Fernando Montiel'') * 2011 ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' Knockout of the Year (''in Round 2 against Fernando Montiel'') * 2011

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

Knockout of the Year (''in Round 2 against Fernando Montiel'') * 2012

Fighter of the Year. * 2012

Fighter of the Year. * 2012 ''The Ring'' Fighter of the Year in RingTV.com’s year-end awards fan poll. * 2012 ''

'' Fighter of the Year. * 2012

Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from Stats Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...

Fighter of the Year.Lole K
"Sports 2012 Fighter of the Year."

January 9, 2013. Accessed January 14, 2013.

In popular culture

Donaire has appeared on

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

as a guest and has appeared on ''

Celebrity Duets ''Celebrity Duets'' is an American reality television show, of the progressive game-show type, which combined celebrities of different backgrounds with professional singers in a weekly elimination competition. History The show was a take-off of t ...

'' in third-season episodes on GMA. Donaire is also featured in the video games Fight Night Round 4 and

Fight Night Champion ''Fight Night Champion'' is a boxing video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It is the fifth and last entry in the ''Fight Night'' series and was released in March 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game take ...

Filmography

Notes

References

Video references

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Donaire, Nonito 1982 births Living people Filipino male boxers Boxers from Bohol Sportspeople from General Santos Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Recipients of the Order of Lakandula Participants in Philippine reality television series The Ring (magazine) champions International Boxing Federation champions World Boxing Council champions World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Organization champions International Boxing Organization champions World flyweight boxing champions World bantamweight boxing champions World super-bantamweight boxing champions World featherweight boxing champions Super-flyweight boxers Naturalized citizens of the United States San Lorenzo High School alumni Filipino emigrants to the United States American male boxers Boxers from California Sportspeople from Alameda County, California 21st-century Filipino sportsmen