If there was any doubt surrounding who boxing’s most explosive fighter is, Naoya Inoue removed it with a stunning second round destruction of Nonito Donaire.
The pair shared 12 memorable rounds in 2019 when Inoue was victorious, but the Japanese superstar needed less than five minutes this time around as he stopped Donaire with a relentless flurry of offense.
Looking menacing on the ring walk, Inoue burst into life immediately as he dropped Donaire at the end of the first round. The legendary Filipino beat the count, but he wasn’t able to survive the onslaught that came in the next round.
Hurting Donaire with almost every shot, Inoue weas relentless as he looked to bring the fight to a close. Many shots were landed and although Donaire performed admirably int trying to survive, the barrage of attacks was just too much. After hitting the deck again, the referee jumped in as Inoue began the celebrations.
Next up for Inoue could be an undisputed showdown with Britain’s Paul Butler, who holds the WBO bantamweight title, the only belt missing from Inoue’s collection. Away from that, the pound-for-pound-ranked talent could move up a division and challenge Stephen Fulton for a world title in a fourth weight class.
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