By Ian S Palmer
The World Boxing Super Series holds its bantamweight final at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan this Thursday, November 7th when unbeaten IBF Champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue of Japan will be unifying his belts against WBA Super World Champion Nonito Donaire of the Philippines. The 12-round bout can be seen live early in the morning in North America on DAZN while fans in the UK can catch it on Sky Sports and those in Japan can tune into Fuji TV with the winner being awarded the Muhammad Ali Trophy.
The 26-year-old Inoue advanced to the final and won the IBF belt when he stopped Emmanuel Rodriguez in the second round in May while Donaire stopped Stephon Young in the sixth round in April. Donaire beat Ryan Burnett in the first round of the tournament when Burnett suffered a back injury and couldn’t continue after the fourth round. He also won the WBA belt and the WBC Diamond Bantamweight Crown with the victory. Inoue stopped Juan Carlos Payano in just 70 seconds in his opening bout.
Inoue is a former WBO Jr. Bantamweight and WBC Junior Flyweight titleholder who has all the tools to be one of the world’s elite boxers. Inoue defended his junior bantamweight crown seven times before moving up in weight and quickly taking care of business against Jamie McDonnell in the first round to win his bantamweight crown in May, 2018. The Japanese star became a world champion in his sixth pro fight when he stopped Adrian Hernandez in the sixth round for his junior flyweight belt in May, 2014. He defended it once then moved up to super flyweight and took the title from Omar Narvaez by second-round KO in December, 2014.
Inoue has been a sensation in his homeland since turning pro in 2012. He’s a hard hitter with good boxing skills and stands at 18-0 along with 16 Kos. He’s boxed 95 rounds as a pro and has owns an impressive 88.9 per cent knockout ratio. He stands 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 67.5-inch reach. Inoue enjoyed a fine amateur career and is 13-0 with 12 Kos in world title fights and has also beaten the likes of Ryoichi Taguchi, Kohei Kono, David Carmona and Ricardo Rodriguez. He’s also 7-0 with 6 Kos against current or former world champions in Rodriguez, Taguchi, Hernandez, Narvaez, Kono, McDonnell and Payano.
The 36-year-old Donaire bounced back with the wins over Burnett and Young after dropping a unanimous decision to Carl Frampton in a shot at the vacant interim WBO Featherweight crown last April. He enters the ring with a record of 40-5 with 25 Kos. He’s a former amateur star who moved to America as a youngster and is 15-4 with 9 Kos in world title fights. Donaire’s a former four-division World Champion in the flyweight, bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight divisions and has won numerous regional and minor titles since turning pro in 2001. He’s boxed 277 rounds since then with a current knockout ratio of 57.8 per cent.
Donaire’s biggest wins have been over Burnett, Vic Darchinyan (twice), Hernan Marquez, Fernando Montiel, Omar Narvaez, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka, and Jorge Arce. His losses have been at the hands Frampton, Jessie Magdaleno in 2016, Guillermo Rigondeaux in 2013, Nicholas Walters in 2014 and Rosendo Sanchez in his second pro bout in 2001. The only man to stop him was Walters in the sixth round but Donaire’s proven over the years to have a solid chin. He’s just over 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 68-inch reach which gives him a two-inch height advantage on Inoue.
Prediction…
Donaire still has good power and speed at his age and he’s experienced at picking off his opponents when they move into firing range with enough power do some damage. However, he is becoming easier to hit as he gets older. So far, Inoue has lived up to his nickname of Monster and he’s knocked out his last four opponents in under seven rounds combined. He’s ranked number four in the world pound-for-pound by Ring Magazine. Inoue said he’s not going to look for a knockout against Donaire so this fight could go several rounds or even the distance. Donaire has plenty of experience and skills and has been a credit to boxing but he’s going to have to produce the fight of his life to beat Inoue and at the age of 36 that’s unlikely to happen. I expect Inoue to be crowned the World Boxing Super Series Bantamweight Champion and take Donaire’s WBA title while he’s at it.
