Nonito Donaire looks to once again become unified champion

Naoya Inoue faces Nonito Donaire in a bantamweight unification June 7 on ESPN+.

This Tuesday, live from Toyko, Japan, and on ESPN+, WBA & IBF bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (22-0) goes up against the WBC champion Nonito Donaire (42-6). This is the second time these two have met, as the first fight was an all-time classic that took place in November 2019. While both men have faced some opponents since the last fight, this rematch is what they have been looking forward to since the scorecards were read in the first fight.

The WBC champion Donaire recently checked in with Ak & Barak from “The DAZN Boxing Show” while sporting a calm and relaxed personality, knowing that he will have to flip the switch when he meets Inoue in a few days for the rematch. Donaire has been vocal about the first fight he had with Inoue as he felt that an opportunity was missed to beat “The Monster” the first time they met back in 2019. Donaire told Ak & Barak, “After feeling like I can beat him the next time, I went right back to the drawing board. I spent a week or two and then went right back into the gym. He’s been on my mind ever since.”

Donaire continued, “I came in there fighting without the game plan. It was more like me trying to bully the kid (Inoue), and he came up pretty strong. He was tough, and I didn’t expect that from him. He can crack too. Last time I came in with the mindset to just fight but this time, I am coming in with everything.” There were also some issues with the gloves that threw him off of his game. Donaire told Ak & Barak, “I took his punches, but this time, we are both getting in there with the puncher’s gloves. In the last fight, my Everlast gloves, through the packing and delivery, arrived messed up. I couldn’t use my gloves, so I had to use his secondary gloves.”

Naoya Inoue vs. Nonito Donaire will be streaming live on ESPN+ June 7

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This rematch means more to Donaire as he is 39 and has been drinking from the fountain of youth for quite some time. So, what keeps him motivated at this point in his career? “I’m driven by beating this kid (Inoue) and being undisputed. That is the only thing I do not have on my resume,” said Donaire. His wife Rachel has mentioned there is no rematch clause, and a Donaire victory would mean they are “on to the next one.” Donaire still has goals in mind and things he wants to achieve before considering doing anything other than fight. “When it’s all said and done, I’m definitely going to go for the undisputed belt; put all the belts together.”

You can watch the rest of the Nonito Donaire interview on The DAZN Boxing Show.