Nonito Donaire Vs. Alexandro Santiago: Odds, Records, Prediction

At the age of 40 and coming off a savage knockout loss, there are, naturally, plenty of observers who question Nonito Donaire and just how much time he has left in boxing. But the future Hall of Famer doesn’t appear to be one of those who is wondering. Instead, he’s focused on winning yet another bantamweight world title, this time against Alexandro Santiago. Here’s everything you need to know about Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

Donaire surprised many boxing observers in 2019 when he fought Naoya Inoue, one of the best (and most dangerous) fighters in the world, to a close decision loss in what was the BWAA Fight of the Year. Many thought Inoue would slaughter Donaire. Instead, Donaire gave Inoue his toughest test yet.

But now Donaire, a former four-division world titlist, is 40 and is coming off a big knockout loss to Inoue in their rematch, and we have to wonder if Donaire has enough left to beat a fighter at Santiago’s level.

“I’ve brought in some really fast fighters who have helped me prepare,” Donaire said, “and my team has really focused on giving me some defensive pointers.”

It’ll also be fascinating to see how both fighters respond to what was a two-week delay of their fight. Originally, they were supposed to face each other on the undercard of the Frank Martin vs. Artem Harutyunyun fight on July 15. But after the Gurgen Hovhannisyan vs. Viktor Faust bout scheduled for Saturday’s PPV telecast had to be canceled because of an injury, Donaire vs. Santiago was inserted into its place on the Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence extravaganza.

Considering Donaire and Santiago were both so close to that July 15 date when their fight got pushed back, it will be interesting to see how their bodies will react to having to remain near the 118-pound weight limit for an extra fortnight.

Said Santiago: “I have been waiting five years to get another world title opportunity, so another two weeks is nothing. I’m still focused and working hard. The objective and target are still the same.”

Here’s more info on the Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on Showtime PPV or PPV.com for $84.99 beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago odds

I was a little surprised to see Donaire was such a tiny betting favorite—as of this writing, he’s -165 (bet $165 to win $100). Santiago, meanwhile, is the +125 underdog (win $125 on a $100 wager). If it were me, I’d rush right out to take Donaire’s money line. If you want to take a little more risk, I also don’t mind Donaire to win by decision at +225.

Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago records

Though he’s almost assuredly a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Donaire (42-7, 28 KOs) is only 5-4 in his last nine fights. Of course, the level of his opponents continues to be impressive (those defeats came twice to Inoue, Carl Frampton and Jessie Magdaleno). But even at his advanced age (relative to boxing), he still managed to knock off Nordine Oubaali, Reymart Gaballo and Ryan Burnett (all of whom were undefeated before facing Donaire).

In three of his biggest fights, Santiago (27-3-5) has gone 0-1-2, losing to Gary Antonio Russell and drawing against Jerwin Ancajas and Antonio Nieves. But Santiago is coming off a victory in his rematch vs. Nieves, and he’s won 11 of his last 12 fights. In his prime, Donaire probably would have dominated Santiago. Donaire, of course, is no longer near his prime.

Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago prediction

Even at his advanced age, Donaire still has plenty to offer boxing fans. He’s still one of the best at 118 pounds, and with Inoue moving up to 122 pounds (and then absolutely smashing Stephen Fulton to win a pair of world titles on Tuesday), he still might have the skills to win more belts at bantamweight. Beating Santiago won’t be as easy as it would have been if Donaire was 35, but he’s still good enough to get that job done by unanimous decision, say somewhere in the 116-112 range.