The rematch is LIVE on ESPN+ – Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire meet in a bantamweight title match from Japan – Streaming coverage begins at 5am ET / 2am pacific time
Nonito Donaire says he’s “booming” after gaining weight ahead of his eagerly awaited rematch with Naoya Inoue.
The 39-year-old hit 117.8lbs in Yokohama earlier today (June 6), to comfortably enter the weight limit, while Inoue weighed in at 118lbs.
Donaire and his Japanese opponent clash at the Super Arena in Saitama tomorrow, with the WBC, WBA and IBF world championship belts, in a match that the whole of boxing will watch.
After pitting Inoue for the last time before the night of the fight, Filipino Flash said: “I feel good, I feel great. It’s going to be a great night and you can expect to see the best of me.
“I’m on fire and it’s going to be a very interesting fight!”
The War of the Year rematch of 2019 refers to an event promoted by Ohashi Promotion and Teiken Promotion, in association with Probellum, with the first match kicking off at 4:50pm local time and Donaire vs Inoue being played. scheduled for 9pm local time.
Donaire recovered from his first fight with Inoue for the WBC bantamweight belt and set up a second match that promises to be more explosive than their classic encounter, nearly three years ago.
The future Hall of Fame presenter is confident of getting his revenge on the boxer dubbed ‘The Beast’ and Donaire wants to set up an undisputed clash with WBO champion Paul Butler.
Nonito Donaire vs Naoya Inoue rematch
Probellum is honored to have helped the great Nonito Donaire secure a blockbuster bantamweight rematch with Naoya Inoue – a match the boxing world is calling for.
Donaire and Inoue have combined to produce Fight of the Year 2019 and will rematch on June 7, at the Super Arena, in Saitama, Japan in one of the biggest competitions conducted in the sport. .
Probellum, the promoter of Donaire, led by President Richard Schaefer, worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help make this fascinating merger a reality.
Next month’s rematch between Donaire and Inoue will be promoted by Ohashi Promotion and Teiken Promotion along with Probellum.
Richard Schaefer, President of Probellum said: “Being able to help bring together two of the best fighters in the world for this vast fight for unification, is a proud moment for our business. .
“Probellum only launched 8 months ago and has played a vital role in ensuring the Donaire vs Inoue rematch becomes a reality.
“I’m super excited for this bout, so are Donaire and Inoue and the whole boxing can’t wait for it.”
Inoue made it through a remarkable first contest between the two, winning on the judges’ scorecard after 12 rounds, but Donaire broke his opponent’s nose and fractured his orbital bone, in A brutal war between the ages.
The Japanese star, who forced his opponent to face off in the 11th round, holds the WBA ‘Super’ and IBF belts at 118lbs but since their 2019 bout, Donaire has responded in legendary fashion , by taking the WBC crown with fourth place- knockout round Nordine Oubaali.
The Filipino Flash, Nonito Donaire said: “Our first fight was brutal and wonderful, it was a classic, but the rematch will be even better.
“I am entering this epic fight with a new mindset, because the first competition with Inoue was an awakening for me and now I know I can beat him.
“I am extremely grateful to Richard and Probellum for helping to make this war a reality because it is not only the war I want but the war the whole world wants.
“June 7, in Japan, will be a special evening for the sport and make no mistake, it will end with a Donaire victory.”
Donaire, a future Hall of Fame fighter, joined the ranks of Probellum last October, not long after the advertising agency launched.
The 39-year-old is a world 4th weight champion and, when he won the WBC bantamweight belt in May, broke his own record by becoming the oldest fighter to ever hold the belt in that weight class.
Nonito Donaire vs Naoya Inoue rematch will be ‘epic’ moment for boxing
WBA / IBF bantamweight world champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue is winning 17-0 in the world title match and has been pushed to the brink only once.
WBC bantamweight world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, a fourth-place player whose late-career renaissance has cemented his status as one of the sport’s greatest lightweight champions boxing, has another hit that stuns the Japanese balance symbol.
Inoue and Donaire will meet in a title unification rematch on Tuesday, June 7, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Inoue and Donaire fought for the first time in November 2019 at Saitama Super Arena, Inoue fixed a broken bone and nose in orbit to win a unanimous decision in the Unanimous War of the Year.
Inoue-Donaire 2 and the matches under the tag will stream live and exclusively in the US on ESPN+ starting at 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT.
“Naoya Inoue vs Nonito Donaire’s first fight was one of the greatest title fights I’ve ever seen, and I’m delighted that American boxing fans can watch the rematch on ESPN +,” said First Class President Bob Arum.
Inoue (22-0.19 KOs), three-weight world champion, won the WBC flyweight lightweight title in April 2014 and rose to prominence pound-for-pound with over-the-top runs at bantamweight and bantamweight. At one point, Inoue had a streak of 7 consecutive knock-out championships against boxers who had never been stopped. He joined the bantamweight division in May 2018 with a first-half loss to Jamie McDonnell. A year later, he knocked out Emmanuel Rodriguez in two innings to win the IBF world title. Since unifying the IBF and WBA belts with Donaire, Inoue has beaten Jason Moloney, Michael Dasmariñas and Aran Dipaen.
Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs), a 39-year-old future Hall of Famer who won his first world title in the flyweight division in 2007, has experienced a career rebirth since since relegated to featherweight following a decisive defeat to Carl Frampton in 2018 He won in injury time against Ryan Burnett and Stephon Young in his first two bantamweight title fights before taking on Inoue . Donaire was previously unaffected by a 12-round shootout against Inoue, returning last May to beat Nordine Oubaali through injury time in the fourth round to claim the WBC belt. Donaire then defended that strap in December with a knockout in the fourth round against the previously undefeated Reymart Gaballo.
In other Stream the action on ESPN+:
- Takuma Inoue (15-1, 3 KOs), Naoya’s younger brother and former world bantamweight title challenger, will defend his WBO Asia Pacific lightweight featherweight belt in Match 12 hiep. Gakuya Furuhashi (28-8-2, 16 KOs). Inoue has won two in a row since a decisive loss to Nordine Oubaali for the WBC bantamweight world title, while Furuhashi is unbeaten in 11 fights since 2016.
- Rising heavyweight star Andy Hiraoka (19-0, 14 KO) will defend my Japanese title first Shun Akaiwa (7-3-1.5 KOs) in 10th round. Hiraoka won 5 straight games by knockout, including 2 Top Rated stops on ESPN’s undercards.
