By CARLO ANOLIN
Nonito Donaire is all “fired up” for his rematch against Naoya Inoue as both bantamweight champions made their respective weight ahead of their unification bout Tuesday at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
“I feel good, I feel great. It is going to be an amazing night and you can look forward to seeing the best of me,” said Donaire in an interview with Probellum. “I am very fired up and it is going to be a very exciting fight!”
Donaire, 39, tipped the scales at 117.8 lbs while Inoue, 29, weighed in at 118 lbs early Moday in Yokohama.
The “Filipino Flash” puts his World Boxing Council (WBC) title on the line while the Japanese “Monster” stakes his super World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation belts in another 12-round bout.
Donaire’s “road to undisputed” begins with his second encounter with Inoue since losing in their first match last November 2019 in a bout that earned the Fight of the Year award.
Donaire went on a hiatus at that time but bounced back with two key victories in 2021, his redemption year.
The Boholano native champion won the WBC belt by taking down Nordine Oubaali in May 2021 and defended it for the first time by stopping compatriot Reymart Gaballo in December of the same year.
Interestingly, he won both bouts with back-to-back knockouts in the fourth round which made him Premier Boxing Champion’s (PBC) Fighter of the Year.
While Donaire reintroduced himself as a bantamweight champion, Inoue also improved over time and kept his super WBA, IBF, and The Ring titles for almost three years.
The Japanese superstar, for his part, had won three title defenses against the likes of Jason Moloney, Michael Dasmariñas, and recently against Aran Dipaen in December 2021 as well.
