Nonito Donaire: record, next fight and profile →
By Keith Idec - “The Monster” overwhelmed Nonito Donaire in their rematch Tuesday night. Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue dropped Donaire once apiece in the first and second rounds and stopped the 39-year-old Donaire quickly in their highly anticipated bantamweight championship rematch.
By Cliff Rold - Can they do it again? While the result was little in doubt when the final bell sounded in 2019, what happened over the course of twelve rounds left an impression. Naoya Inoue may have won as many as nine rounds against Nonito Donaire to unify a pair of titles and win the World Boxing Super Series. Those nine didn’t come easy. Inoue battled through a broken nose and orbital bone, scoring a knockdown late and proving his grit and chin were as potent as the offense that had dazzled since nearly his debut.
Naoya Inoue believes he can be next to wear the pound-for-pound crown left up for grabs in the wake of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s recent defeat.
Michael Griffin is entrusted with maintaining order in yet another high-profile assignment. The veteran ring official has been tabbed as the referee for the WBA/WBC/IBF bantamweight title unification rematch between Yokohama’s Naoya Inoue and Las-Vegas based Fil-Am star Nonito Donaire. The fight takes place Tuesday evening local time at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, the same site that held their epic first fight which saw Inoue prevail via unanimous decision in November 2019.
Two of the hardest punchers in the lower weight classes will apparently don appropriate gloves for their upcoming rematch. Nonito Donaire and Naoya Inoue will presumably wear their preferred gloves for their 118-pound title unification bout, a repeat of their 2019 encounter, Tuesday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Nonito Donaire isn’t too concerned about where he is ranked within boxing’s imaginary hierarchy. The four-division titlist and current WBC 118-pound beltholder was recently asked about his “pound-for-pound” credentials, and if he thinks he will land a top spot should he come out victorious against his bantamweight title unification rematch against WBA, IBF titleholder Naoya Inoue this Tuesday at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Naoya Inoue had a feeling that he hadn’t seen the last of Nonito Donaire after their first meeting. Their sensational November 2019 fight doubled as a bantamweight title unification clash and the final leg of the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament, with Inoue claiming a well-earned twelve-round, unanimous decision. Following the fight, Yokohama’s Inoue was expected to defend his IBF/WBA titles versus then-WBO champ John Riel
The rematch between Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire nearly took place a day ahead of schedule thanks to a dispute over gloves and other minor issues.
Nonito Donaire checked in at his heaviest weight since returning to bantamweight more than three years ago. The four-division champion and future Hall of Famer still managed to weigh in comfortably within the divisional limit for his long-awaited rematch with Naoya Inoue, weighing a ripped 117.8 pounds. Inoue hit the bantamweight mark right at 118 pounds for their three-belt unification bout Tuesday evening (local time) at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Jason Moloney has landed an ideal fight at the perfect time in his career. The still-relevant bantamweight contender gets a home fight for the first time since the pandemic. His bout with fellow former title challenger Aston Palicte takes place this weekend at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia (Saturday, ESPN, 9:00 p.m. ET/Sunday morning locally). A win by Moloney (23-2, 18KOs) will put the local hero in line for a third shot at a bantamweight title.