Carson (United States) (AFP)

The march was too high for Nordine Oubaali: the Frenchman took a boxing lesson against the Filipino Nonito Donaire, a big name in the small categories, who beat him by KO in the 4th round, to rob him of his WBC cocks belt on Saturday.

In the outdoor ring of Carson (California), Oubaali, who conceded at 34 his first defeat in 18 fights, could not do anything against Donaire.

The latter, who has so far been world champion in four different categories (flyweight, roosters, super-roosters and feathers), recovers a title he has already been in possession of in 2011.

And how!

After two first rounds during which Oubaali was the most aggressive, managing to place his left hook several times, Donaire, as usual, took the time to read his opponent's boxing and accelerated in the 3rd round.

He first countered with a right jab the Frenchman who answered tit for tat, but found himself with both knees on the ground after a left hook received at the temple.

Counted, but not yet sounded, Oubaali then went through hell when the Filipino pounced on him.

- "It will make me grow" -

A terrible left uppercut a few nanoseconds before the bell struck him down.

Falling his head forward, without his arms deprived of strength cushioning his fall, he could not have risen from it.

He succeeded, all shaky, and the referee wanted to give the defending champion a chance.

# photo1

The 4th round was fatal: even if Oubaali managed to place a few blows to pride that hurt his opponent, instead of perhaps reassuring himself by procrastinating, Donaire took the opportunity to again counter him with a big right at the temple and a terrible uppercut which sent the French permanently to the mat.

Sitting, head bowed, haggard, the nearby Donaire camp had to bring the Filipino's stool, for the doctor to sit the Lensois on it so that he could recover his spirits.

"The first blow to the temple, I did not see it coming. And in boxing, anything can happen, I learn it at my expense ... It's a fight that will make me grow", commented Oubaali to AFP after the fact.

To the cheers of a scattered public but all to his glory, Donaire was able to exult by hearing "The King is back" (the king is back) arise, as he himself had promised this week.

Already promised to enter the Boxing Hall of Fame, he who was, between 2007 and 2019, world champion in flyweight (IBF), roosters (WBC, WBO), super-roosters (IBF, WBO) and feathers (WBA) ), Donaire now has 41 wins (6 losses).

- "Strong, I am" -

Once again owner of the WBC roosters belt at 38, ten years after winning it for the first time, he has proven that his freshness, tone and punch remain intact, after 18 months without boxing due to the pandemic of Covid-19.

Coronavirus he contracted last December.

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To journalists impressed by his performance, he replied: "age is in the head, I feel good, I am unstoppable".

"They call me Yoda (because) + strong, I am +", he added, borrowing the way of speaking of the character of the saga "Star Wars".

Donaire thus opened the way for a revenge with the Japanese Naoya Inoue, N.1 in the category and holder of the WBA and IBF belts, who had beaten him at the end of 2019 in what had been considered by many specialists of the noble art as one of the fights of the year.

This reunification of titles, Oubaali dreamed of.

He had made it a supreme goal, he who had so far met all his challenges, starting with the conquest of his belt in Las Vegas against the American Rau'shee Warren in January 2019. Title he had retained against the Filipino Arthur Villanueva in Nur-Sultan, then against the Japanese Takuma Inoue in Saitama.

This time the mountain was too high, his courage was not enough.

But as the wise Donaire said, showing solidarity with him: "losing does not mean that everything stops".

© 2021 AFP