- Naoya Inoue knocked Nonito Donaire out in less than two rounds
- “Monster” hopes to become an undisputed champion sooner rather than later
Naoya Inoue did quick work on his bantamweight nemesis Nonito Donaire during their epic rematch in Saitama, Japan. The 29-year-old has now unified the WBA, IBF, and WBC bantamweight titles.
Wasted no time
Time is of the essence for Inoue as he swiftly lets Donaire feel his power in the very first round. A vicious right hand from the Japanese floored the Filipino boxing legend.
DOWN GOES DONAIRE IN R1 😱@NaoyaInoue_410 x #InoueDonaire2 pic.twitter.com/MMnhOvub4w
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) June 7, 2022
The Filipino Flash did not survive
Looking at how Inoue dismantled Donaire in the opening round, it’s safe to say that the fight would’ve been over had the time did not expire. As expected, “Monster” picked up where he left off and landed more shots at “The Filipino Flash,” who evidently did not manage to recuperate during the break.
The referee in charge decided he’d seen enough and the fight off early in the second round. declaring Inoue as winner via KO.
MONSTROUS DESTRUCTION 👹 @NaoyaInoue_410 | #InoueDonaire2 | #DramaInSaitama2 pic.twitter.com/S7PCACgDEM
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) June 7, 2022
The MONSTER wasted no time 😲 @naoyainoue_410 knocked out Nonito Donaire in two rounds. #InoueDonaire2 pic.twitter.com/WmMxwcWRib
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) June 7, 2022
Next stop: Undisputed
Speaking after his victory, Inoue did not shy away from admitting that he will stay in the 118-pound division if he would be able to become the undisputed champion within this year.
“My dream is to be the undisputed champion,” he explained. “If I can do that within 2022 then I will stay in this division. If I can’t, I am capable of moving up and fighting in a higher division. Thank you so much everybody for coming to the arena for the fight, thank you so much for everything.”
As it stands, Inoue has now improved his unbeaten record to 23-0, 20 of those came by way of KO/TKO.
