MANILA – Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire
Jr. hopes to pull off an upset when he faces Japanese fighter Naoya Inoue in a bantamweight
unification world title on Nov. 7 in Saitama, Japan.
At stake in the bout is the Filipino fighter’s World Boxing Association (WBA)
championship as well as the Japanese knockout artist’s International Boxing
Federation (IBF) world title.
Donaire admitted he is the underdog in the world title clash but will bank on
his deep experience and determination to win the match that serves as
culmination of the World Boxing Super Series.
“I know that Naoya Inoue is the favorite due to his youth. But, I have a lot of
determination to reverse the odds, and for that I will fully dedicate myself to
the maximum level with my physical preparations,” said Donaire.
The 36-year-old fighter added: “I feel very motivated and incredibly excited to jump into a fight with Naoya Inoue in Japan, which is a beautiful country that has educated me spiritually.”
Inoue is being predicted to win the
world title clash but Donaire, a four-division world boxing champion, believes
the fight will be decided on sheer strategy.
“We are both gifted fighters with speed and power and intelligence. The one who
commits the first mistake in the ring, he will lose. I can tell you that this
fight could be long like a game of chess,” Donaire said.
Donaire will be entering the ring with an impressive 40-5-0 win-loss-draw ring
record, including 26 stoppage wins, while the 26-year-old Inoue will parade his
untarnished 18-0-0 card with 16 wins by knockout./PN
