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Nonito Donaire has promised to avenge his loss to Naoya Inoue when they meet once again on June 7 at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
It was the same venue of their 2019 slugfest that earned the 'Fight of the Year' honor. In that fight, the Japanese star walked away with the unified WBA, IBF, and Ring Titles via unanimous decision.
In their first meeting, ‘The Monster’ was rocked early on but was able to drop ‘The Filipino Flash’ in the eleventh round with a heavy body shot. Inoue was also able to fight through a fractured orbital bone and a broken nose during the bout.
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This time, the 39-year-old Donaire is convinced he can finish the job and avenge his loss three years ago. In a press statement released by Probellum, Donaire’s promoter, the future Hall-of-Famer was quoted as saying:
“Our first fight was brutal and amazing, it was a classic, but the rematch is going to be even better. I am heading into this monumental fight with a new mindset, because the first contest with Inoue was an awakening for me and I now know I can defeat him.”
He went on to say:
“I am incredibly grateful for the work of [Probellum CEO] Richard [Schaefer] and Probellum in helping to make this fight a reality because it is not only the fight I wanted, but the one the world wanted as well. June 7, in Japan, is going to be a special evening for the sport and make no mistake, it will end in a Donaire victory.”
Watch Nonito Donaire work ahead of his rematch with Naoya Inoue:
Can Nonito Donaire continue to defeat Father Time?
Since losing to Inoue, Donaire has started a renaissance in his two-decade boxing career.
Last year, Donaire defeated French-Morrocan Nordine Oubaali for the WBC Bantamweight Championship by scoring a stunning fourth-round knockout. He went on to defend his title against mandatory challenger and compatriot Reymart Gaballo and duplicated another fourth-round knockout in December.
At 39, Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) is currently the oldest world champion. After a career that has spanned 21 years with 48 fights and world titles across four divisions, many believed that it was the end of Donaire’s illustrious boxing career. However, 'The Filipino Flash' wanted Inoue one more time and his IBF and WBA Titles.
Watch the full fight between Donaire and Inoue in 2019:
