Nonito Donaire has made his prediction for Nayoa Inoue’s next undisputed title defence against Junto Nakatani.
The fight pits two pound-for-pound stars against one another. Inoue is well established as one of if not the best fighter in the world, but Nakatani – who will mark just his second appearance at super-bantamweight – is a man on the rise and eager to escape his countryman’s significant shadow.
Inoue and Donaire first met in the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight final in November 2019, with the Japanese superstar winning a unanimous decision to add Donaire’s WBA belt to his IBF title. The fight became an instant classic, with Inoue later revealing he had suffered a fractured orbital bone and broken nose.
They rematched in June 2022, again in Saitama, with Donaire this time bringing the WBC belt. ‘The Monster’ made a statement, dropping the Filipino great late in the first before stopping him in the second to further strengthen his pound-for-pound case.
When weighing up the Nakatani clash in an interview with the WBC, Donaire praised both men but ultimately landed on his old foe keeping his undefeated record by stoppage.
“A lot of people will favour Inoue because he has the experience and weight. Nakatani is coming up in weight, but I have to give the tall southpaw and not fearing Inoue. The one who establishes their style first will win the fight.
“I would go with Inoue. I believe it has to be a knockout because both guys are going to go for it. Nakatani needs to press the fight to have that distance. There is a huge difference in height, Nakatani does get hit because he fights in mid-range, a little step back utilising that distance. We know Inoue is devastating when he comes down to executing his punches and able to land them.”
The fight takes place this weekend at the Tokyo Dome – a historic event for Japanese boxing.