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Naoya Inoue vs. Nonito Donaire has officially been announced for June 7 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The rematch will be a unification contest with the WBA, WBC and IBF Bantamweight Championships on the line.
Check out Michael Benson's post below:
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Inoue is coming off an 8th round stoppage victory against Aran Dipaen back in December. Still undefeated, Naoya Inoue is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The Japanese superstar will have the opportunity to add another title to his collection against Donaire.
Donaire's last fight was also in December when he knocked out the previously undefeated Reymart Gaballo in the 4th round. At 39 years old, 'The Filipino Flash' is in the twilight stage of his career and a win against Inoue could be the perfect ending.
The two bantamweight stars fought for the first time in 2019. Inoue outboxed Donaire and claimed a 12 round unanimous decision to capture the WBA belt. Since that bout, both have been on winning streaks and have won by knockout or stoppage in every fight.
Watch the full fight of Inoue vs. Donaire 1:
Naoya Inoue vs. Nonito Donaire
With 19 KOs out of 22 victories, Inoue is renowned for his incredible punching power at Bantamweight. However, Donaire is one of the 'Monster's two previous opponents that he was unable to knock out or even drop. It remains to be seen whether Inoue can claim a stoppage victory this time around.
Donaire is physically bigger than Inoue, having campaigned in the past at Super Bantamweight and Featherweight. In contrast, the Japanese superstar started his career at light flyweight and has never fought above 118 lbs. It is plausible, though, that Inoue has naturally become heavier in the last few years.
In their first encounter, Inoue was only 25 years old and will still be in his prime when facing Donaire on June 7. Even though the 'Monster' won a convincing decision on the judges' scorecards, it was a competitive and high-action contest.
