Donaire seeking greater dangers
By Recah Trinidad
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 01 May 2019
AFTER securing a slot in the final of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS), Nonito Donaire said he would be at ringside on May 18 to scout his next opponent. Japanese star Naoya Inoue and Emmanuel Rodriguez of Puerto Rico, both unbeaten, clash in the world bantamweight semifinal in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Inoue-Rodriguez fight promises to be terribly tough, an ultimate test, for both warriors.
But Donaire, 36, said he?s giving Inoue the edge.
Inoue, called the Monster, is a very dangerous opponent.
?We?ve an unwritten respect that we?ll be facing each other in the final fight,? Donaire said.
**
Donaire, a four-division world champion and 2012 Fighter of the Year, was quick to state that his projected championship fight against Inoue would be ?the best against the best.?
There are more than a couple of reasons why Donaire is seeking a difficult and dangerous test while trying to come back as a boxing superstar and pound-for-pound top contender.
For one, Donaire made it to the WBSS bantamweight final via an irregular route.
He scored risk-free win in the quarterfinals after the previously unbeaten Ryan Burnett surrendered in the fourth round, victim of a freak back injury. It was Donaire?s first bout as a bantamweight since 2011.
In Donaire?s WBSS semifinal outing over the weekend, he scored an expected stoppage over the defenseless Stephon Young, a last-minute substitute for Zolani Tete, who quit ahead allegedly due to shoulder tendinitis.
**
After his trouble-free trip to the final, nothing less than a crucial clash against a top-rated opponent would help bring Donaire back to the top of the boxing world.
Both Inoue and Rodriguez are amazing warriors.
But Inoue, Donaire?s main choice for a title foe, is 17-0, with 15 knockouts. He barged into the elite bantamweight bracket with a first-round stoppage of former 118-lbs titlist Jamie McDonald. He followed this scintillating win with a 1st round KO over ex-champ Juan Carlos Payano.
Inoue, with his power and skillset, is being given the big edge to rule the WBSS bantamweight championship.
As the underdog, Donaire could redeem himself from the forgettable slips in his career, when he got crushed silly by Jamaica?s Nicolas Walters, before being humiliated by Cuba?s Guillermo Rigondeaux.
The twin defeats practically dropped Donaire into the world boxing dustbin.
Surviving the great dangers and topping the WBSS championship series should help firm up Donaire?s badly shaken Hall of Fame career.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Recah Trinidad.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimàn: Technological evolution or revolution?
By Mauricio Sulaimán, Wed, 03 Sep 2025Result or Matias-Smith WBC super lightweight title match purse bid
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 03 Sep 2025Vicelles fights in Japan on Sept. 7
By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 03 Sep 2025Yoelvis Gomez Speaks After Winning the WBA Continental Latin America Title
Wed, 03 Sep 2025Connor Coyle sets the record straight ‘Clean from Day One. Never cheated, never will’
Wed, 03 Sep 2025Requito stops Bambam in 3rd round
By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 03 Sep 2025Villarosa draws with Labajo, Enano wins
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 02 Sep 2025Suarez, Magsayo Reliving High Point in PH Boxing at Super Featherweights
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Tue, 02 Sep 2025Pacman back into full-time boxing
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 02 Sep 2025Unbeaten Laurente Dominates Marapu to Capture IBF Pan-Pacific Lightweight Crown; Gaballo Wins in Co-Main Event
Tue, 02 Sep 2025Thunderdome 51 Review: Perth’s Joel Lewis claims title with stunning knockout
Tue, 02 Sep 2025Paulette Cuesta and Susy Kandy Sandoval Set for Highly Anticipated Rematch in Tijuana
Tue, 02 Sep 2025THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 31 August 2025
By Eric Armit, Mon, 01 Sep 2025Gaballo, Laurente prevail in Gensan
By Lito delos Reyes, Mon, 01 Sep 2025Paalam leads ABAP team in Liverpool
By Joaquin Henson, Mon, 01 Sep 2025