Naoya Inoue demolishes Nonito Donaire in two rounds in their rematch

Naoya Inoue didn’t need 12 rounds this time.

“The Monster” looked the part in his rematch with Nonito Donaire on Tuesday in Japan, putting the 39-year-old down in the first round and then finishing him off in the second to unify three of the four major 118-pound titles Tuesday in Saitama, Japan.

The official time of the stoppage was 1 minute, 24 seconds of Round 2.

The two had engaged in a competitive, back-and-forth battle in 2019 that ended in a unanimous-decision victory for Inoue, who we later learned had suffered a broken bone in his face during the fight.

This time, with Inoue healthy and Donaire pushing 40, it was no contest.

Almost all of the first round was relatively uneventful, as the fighters took time to get a feel for one another. Both of them landed a few power shots but none seemed to do much damage.

Until the final seconds of the opening round, that is. That’s when Donaire moved forward as he was about to throw a punch and was caught with a short right to the chin, which put him on his behind. He was able to get up and the round ended moments later.

Donaire’s trials were just beginning, however. Inoue took his time in Round 2, waiting for a good opportunity to finish the job. Then came the beginning of the end.

Around thirty seconds into the round he landed a left hook that wobbled Donaire. The same punch did the same thing about a minute later. And, finally, with Donaire’s back in a corner, Inoue landed one more left hook that put his badly beaten opponent on his back.

Referee Michael Griffin didn’t bother to count. The fight was over.

Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs), ranked No. 2 pound-for-pound by Boxing Junkie, is a three-division titleholder with a number of important victories. However, none were bigger than this one give what happened in the first fight, the three belts at stake and the reputation of Donaire (42-7, 28 KOs).

The Japanese star probably will now target the man who holds the fourth major title, Englishman Paul Butler, in an attempt to become undisputed champion.

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Meanwhile, Donaire, who turns 40 in November, will have some thinking to do.

He bounced back from the initial setback against Inoue to win a share of the bantamweight championship and successfully defend one time to enhance his reputation of one of the best of his era. However, it will be difficult to come back at his age from the kind of beating he took on Tuesday.

The blessing for him was that it wasn’t prolonged.