Nonito Donaire and Naoya Inoue have both made weight, making their highly anticipated rematch on Tuesday official.
The Filipino four-division champion in Donaire came in at 53.4 kg (117.7 lbs), while Japanese knockout artist Inoue weighed right at the bantamweight limit of 53.5 kg (117.9 lbs). Donaire’s WBC title, and Inoue’s WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine belts will all be on the line in this title unification at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
The weigh-in and pre-fight medicals were streamed by Donaire’s camp:
The pair first fought in what was awarded as the 2019 Fight of the Year. After a back-and-forth war, Inoue ended up with a unanimous decision victory, which is one of the rare occasions that “The Monster” went the distance in his career.
Since that first bout, Inoue has won three straight bouts, all by stoppage again. Donaire, on the other hand, has won two straight bouts by knockout, as he won and defended the WBC bantamweight title in 2021.
The 29-year-old Inoue is unbeaten in 22 fights and is ranked among boxing’s top pound-for-pound. The future Hall of Famer in Donaire is already 39, and has set the record for being the oldest fighter to win a bantamweight title.
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