Nonito Donaire has told Naoya Inoue he can forget about trying to knock him out, saying: “My heart is bigger than his punches”. Donaire and Inoue meet in a highly anticipated rematch in Japan on June 7, with the IBF, WBA, WBA bantamweight titles at stake.
Nonito Donaire didn’t even know how much elite-level boxing he had left in him two years ago. Donaire, then 35, had just lost nine rounds to Carl Frampton on all three scorecards in a 12-round featherweight title fight in Belfast. That was his second one-sided defeat in three fights, seemingly a sure sign that his terrific career was winding down.
If there was any doubt as to who the face of boxing was in 2019, Canelo Alvarez answered it. The 29-year-old Mexican beat two quality opponents last year, outpointing Daniel Jacobs to unify middleweight titles in May, then jumped two weight classes to stop WBO light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev in November.
Boxing pundits weren’t quite sure what to make of Carl Frampton’s win over Nonito Donaire back when the pair of former multi-division titlists collided nearly two years ago. Frampton claimed a clear-cut 12-round points win—the second of three straight victories following his title-fight loss to Leo Santa Cruz in their Jan. 2017 rematch. The way most saw it, the April 2018 clash was less telling about Frampton remaining among the sport’s elite as it was suggestive of the final days in Donaire’s storied career which included title reigns in four different weight divisions.
WBO bantamweight champion Zolani Tete admitted that he was as stunned as everyone else by the war of attrition waged by Nonito Donaire and Naoya Inoue in their World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) bantamweight final in Japan last week.
Former world champion Luis 'Pantera' Nery was a very interested party in the recent bantamweight unification between Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire, who collided in the final bout of the World Boxing Super Series tournament. Inoue dropped and won a twelve round unanimous decision over Donaire to unify the IBF, WBA bantamweight belts.
By Lyle Fitzsimmons - I’ve never been a Nonito Donaire cheerleader. But that doesn’t mean I don’t recognize his talents. He’s clearly a world-class operator, obviously has world-class punching power and certainly has shared the ring with some world-class competition. It’s just that I’ve never been quite as high on him as a lot of my colleagues. A few years...
By Tris Dixon - Nonito Donaire is always on hand to remind us why we love this sport. He’s almost 37 and has never looked fitter. He’s nearer the end than the beginning but his chin is still resolute. He remains a destructive hitter.He is quick with a smile, in victory or defeat, and is happy to shake hands or an embrace, whether he wins or loses. He...
Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue has revealed that he suffered a pair of fractures around his right eye, as a result of the toughest fight to date of his pro career. This past Thursday, Inoue came away with the win in his punishing World Boxing Super Series bantamweight final with a twelve round unanimous decision over former four division champion Nonito Donaire.
For all its flaws in execution and managing the calendar, the World Boxing Super Series has been one of the genuine highlights of boxing the last couple years in the ring. Callum Smith and Oleksandr Usyk announced their arrivals in 2018. In 2019, it’s meant two Fight of the Year contenders.