Boxing fans are in for a midweek treat when Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire return to run their 2019 classic. The bantamweight unification clash takes place Tuesday from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama. J Inoue and Donaire's first meeting was a near-unanimous pick for the 2019 Fight of the Year among boxing media. The fight was the final of the ambitious World Boxing Super Series bantamweight tournament.
Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) entered a tournament that many said was past its prime and had Jessie Magdaleno, and Carl Frampton lost bouts in two of his last three. While Donaire won his first two fights at the WBSS tournament, he did not enter the finals, with Inoue having allayed many patient forms. First-round saw him defeat Ryan Burnett after Burnett suffered a back injury just four games into the fight, and the semi-final fight was against Stephon Young, who was a late replacement for Zolani Tete.
But, when allowed to face Inoue, one of the best fighters in the world, Donaire showed that he still had many of the skills that saw him win 30 consecutive fights between 2001 and 2012, a period in which he won world titles in flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight and super bantamweight. In his 35th professional fight, Donaire also added a featherweight world title to his impressive collection.
Inoue's speed (22-0, 19 KOs) was a significant factor in the fight with Donaire, but Donaire never backed down and displayed a brutal right hand in addition to his signature left hook. Both men would hurt the other during the battle before Inoue could walk away late, even falling to a body shot in round 11. Inoue would ultimately win the fight by scores of 114-113, 116-111 and 117-109, but Donaire's performance showed that he had a lot to offer inside the ring.
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