Inoue vs Donaire 2 LIVE: Result and reaction after Inoue lands huge knockout
Follow reaction after Inoue claims three world titles with a second-round KO in the bantamweight rematch
Naoya Inoue stopped Nonito Donaire midway through the second round on Tuesday night to emphatically win their rematch and unify three bantamweight world titles.
Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs) wasted no time in his second meeting with Donaire, knocking down the veteran champion at the end of the first round and again midway through the second. Inoue’s relentless pressure and power ended the fight at 1:24 in Saitama Super Arena outside Tokyo. He adds Donaire’s WBC belt to his own WBA and IBF straps with his fourth consecutive stoppage victory. The Japanese star is considered one of the world’s top pound-for-pound talents and now hopes to unify all four major bantamweight titles if he can land a fight with WBO bantamweight champ Paul Butler later this year.
Inoue abruptly dropped Donaire with a short right hand moments before the bell to end the first round. Donaire got up comfortably, but Inoue piled on the pressure in the second round and hurt his opponent with a series of accurate shots. After a short left hand put Donaire on wobbly legs in the center of the ring early in the second round, Inoue finished him in the corner with a right-left combination that dropped Donaire to his back on the canvas.
Inoue vs Donaire 2
Respect between the opponents, who have now fought twice.
Inoue vs Donaire 2
Is Inoue the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet? That’s now 20 knockouts from 23 unanswered wins.
Inoue vs Donaire 2
Believe it or not, Donaire had one or two (very fleeting) moments of success before being knocked down at the end of Round 1.
Inoue vs Donaire 2
Another angle of the finishing sequence...
Inoue vs Donaire 2
Read our main-event report here:
Naoya Inoue blasts past Nonito Donaire with early KO to collect WBC bantamweight belt
‘Monster’ remained undefeated as he beat his Filipino opponent for the second time in three years
Inoue vs Donaire 2
Ahead of this fight, Inoue was No 5 on our list of the best pound-for-pound men’s boxers.
We think our rankings might need updating after that showing...
Inoue vs Donaire 2
Inoue says he wants to become undisputed champion at bantamweight.
Having picked up the WBC title here, he just needs the WBO belt – held by Paul Butler – to accomplish that feat.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments