Can Nonito Donaire win one more world title against Nordine Oubaali?

Nonito Donaire (40-6, 26KOs) is already a Hall-of-Famer, but he still wants to prove that he’s an elite fighter. He faces undefeated Nordine Oubaali (17-0, 12KOs) for the WBC bantamweight world championship this Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA. The fight will be televised on Showtime at 10pmET/7pmPT. 
 
Donaire has been battle-tested many times and has won world titles in four weight divisions, while Oubaali captured his first world title in 2019, defeating Rau’shee Warren for the vacant WBC bantamweight title. 
 
Over the past few years, Donaire has surprised many fans who thought his best years were behind him. Perhaps it is, but his spirited performance in a decision loss against pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue in November of 2019 was impressive. Even though Oubaali is listed as the favorite, Donaire is not an easy opponent for anybody.
 
For Oubaali, this is the biggest fight of his career. High-level fight experience favor’s Donaire, who is a versatile fighter who still counters effectively and carries a lethal left hook. He made Inoue work hard in their November 2019 showdown, and Donaire will most likely push Oubaali to the limit on Saturday night. 
 
A ton of pressure is on Oubaali. Saturday will mark the first time that he’ll headline a Showtime Championship Boxing main event and a win should allow him to earn more respect among boxing fans. Being southpaw could play to his advantage. Half of Donaire’s 6 defeats have come against southpaws. Donaire believes that he is adequately prepared to face a quality southpaw like Oubaali, but we won’t know for sure until fight night. He’s faced some of boxing’s best including Guillermo Rigondeaux, Inoue, and Carl Frampton, who have all been featured on pound-for-pound lists at some point in their respective careers.
 
Oubaali should not expect an easy night, as Donaire will bring experience and determination into the ring. This bout will likely go the distance, as both fighters are intelligent and tend to avoid costly mistakes. 
 
If Oubaali wins, the narrative will be that Donaire is no longer the fighter he used to be. If the 38-year-old Donaire wins it’s pretty simple. He’s not done. 
 
Despite being the betting underdog, a win for Donaire would not come as a surprise due to his ring IQ and wealth of experience.