Nonito Donaire was knocked out in the second round of the bantamweight world title unification. There is a time and a place.
For good reason, they call Naoya Inoue "monster".
He was tested for the first time in the Fight of the Year when he faced Nonito Donaire. He beat Donaire in a unanimous decision on that night.
In their bantamweight title unification bout Tuesday in Saitama, Japan, Inoue made easy work of the future Hall of Famer with a second round TKO.
In the first round, he floored Donaire with a right hand and then dropped him in the second round.
| Punches | Inoue | Donaire |
|---|---|---|
| Total landed | 42 | 16 |
| Total thrown | 85 | 71 |
| Percent | 49% | 23% |
| Jabs landed | 5 | 0 |
| Jabs thrown | 30 | 29 |
| Percent | 17% | 0% |
| Power landed | 37 | 16 |
| Power thrown | 55 | 42 |
| Percent | 67% | 38% |
| -- Courtesy of CompuBox |
Donaire was knocked down by a left hook in the second round, before the Japanese star trapped him in the corner and landed a jab.
The referee stopped the fight at 1:24 of Round 2 after Donaire was no longer able to continue.
The victory gave Inoue a third 118-pound title and made him the No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer in the country.
In the very first round, I received a left hook from Nonito, and that punch made me wake up and stay focused. To get my status up at the top, I need to win this fight.
In the World Boxing Super Series finals, the first fight between Donaire and Inoue lasted less than two minutes. There was a broken nose and a fractured orbital bone in the early rounds of the fight.
He defeated Donaire with a body shot in the 11th round. Donaire survived and lost on the scorecards.
Between their meetings, Donaire and Inoue fought three times, but it was "The Filipino flash" who faced the tougher competition.
In December, Donaire scored a fourth-round knockout of Reymart Gaballo to retain his bantamweight title.
In December, he defeated Aran Dipaen to win the unified title for the third time.
It felt like a continuation of the first fight when he stepped in the ring again. In the first round, they traded big shots in the center of the ring, but this time, Inoue was even sharper.
Donaire entered the ring at 118 pounds, but he gave little resistance to his opponent.
"My goal is to be the undisputed champ," said Inoue. I'd love to stay in this division if I can do that within the year of 2022. I'm able to raise my division to 122 pounds.
A win over England's Paul Butler, who holds the fourth title at 118 pounds, would make it possible for Inoue. Stephen Fulton and Murodjon Akhmadaliev will face each other at 122 pounds.
Donaire walked away from the sport. His legacy is secure because he turns 40 in November. In 2007, Donaire won his first title when he knocked out Vic Darchinyan. Donaire won titles at 118 and 122 lbs.
After a loss to Carl Frampton he returned to 118 pounds and regained his title.
His rivalry with Inoue is over. Donaire is the only boxer who can really test Inoue at 118 pounds.
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