Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire and Naoya “Monster” Inoue will face off for the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight championship at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, Thursday, November 7.
The Filipino-American and the Japanese boxer both reached their target weight during the weigh-in at 117.5 pounds on Wednesday.
“Official weigh-in is over, and the only thing we can do is to get ready for fight night,” 26-year-old Inoue said.
Nicknamed “Monster,” Inoue is known for his devastating punching power and brutal body attack, having a knockout-to-win ratio of 89%. As of July 2019, he is ranked as the world’s best active bantamweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB), and second by BoxRec. As well as being ranked as the world’s third-best active boxer, pound for pound, by the TBRB, and fourth by The Ring and ESPN.
“We are going to show the greatest fight ever. A victory will be a very satisfying moment for me, and it will be a very big step for a bright future,” Inoue added.
Meanwhile, Donaire, 36 years old, relies on his experience inside the ring. Donaire won 40 out of his 45 fights. 26 of the 40 are knock-out while the other five are via decision. Of his five losses, four are by decision while one is a devastating knockout from his fight with Nicholas Walters in 2014.
“Everything a fighter wants is to become the best of the best. I’ve been through it all, and this is for me another step toward becoming undisputed,” Donaire said.
“Fighting Naoya Inoue has given me motivation. I’ve accomplished so much, so I needed someone to motivate me. It’s brought back my youth again because I have to be at my best,” Donaire said added.
Donaire is popularly known as “The Filipino Flash” due to his breakneck hand speed and formidable punching power. He is also a two-time winner of The Ring’s Knockout of the Year award in 2007 and 2011.
Nonito Donaire and Naoya Inoue are not only fighting for the bantamweight belt but also for $1 million cash prize.