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Mike CoppingerESPN
Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire are set to meet again in a rematch of ESPN’s 2019 Fight of the Year.
Inoue, ESPN’s No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer, announced on social media that he’s set to fight Donaire on June 7 (a Tuesday) at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Inoue will enter the ring with two 118-pound titles, while Donaire offers one in the bantamweight title unification.
“The Monster” Inoue is co-promoted by Top Rank, so it’s expected the fight will be carried Tuesday morning in the U.S., on an ESPN platform.
“Expect a greater fight than last time!” Inoue, who defeated Donaire via unanimous decision, wrote in a translated remark.
That would be an impressive feat considering the violence and brutality of their November 2019 fight at the same venue in the World Boxing Super Series final.
Inoue (22-0, 19 KOs) had crushed the opposition at 118 pounds before he met Donaire, a future Hall of Famer. The Japanese star suffered a broken left orbital bone and a fractured nose early in the fight but fought through the debilitating injuries in a thrilling battle that featured numerous momentum swings.
Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) was dropped by a hard left hand to the body in Round 11 and it appeared Inoue was going to finish him off as he writhed in pain. But Donaire made it to the final bell and dropped a decision via scores of 117-109, 114-113 and 116-111.
The 28-year-old signed with Top Rank after the bout and competed twice in Las Vegas with knockouts of Jason Moloney and Michael Dasmarinas. He returned to Japan in December with an eight-round stoppage of Aran Dipaen.
Now, Inoue returns to the elite level against Donaire, and it’s a wonder that at 39, Donaire still finds himself in the upper echelon.
Fighters in the lower weight classes usually peak sooner, but Donaire has found the fountain of youth after dropping two divisions from 126 pounds to 118. Following that featherweight loss to Carl Frampton in 2018, Donaire scored a pair of wins inside the distance over soft opposition before he shocked the world with his surprisingly spirited performance against Inoue.
Following the defeat, Donaire regained a title in his next fight with a fourth-round KO of Nordine Oubaali in May 2021 and defended it with another fourth-round KO, this time against fellow Filipino Reymart Gaballo in December.
When Inoue and Donaire face each other this time around, the stakes will be even higher. Not only does each man now hold a title (or titles), they also will enter the ring as the top two boxers in ESPN’s bantamweight rankings.