Naoya Inoue unifies titles with sensational knockout of Nonito Donaire

Naoya Inoue, the unbeaten three-division champion from Japan known as the Monster, lived up to his reputation as one of boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters with a sensational second-round knockout of Nonito Donaire in their bantamweight title unification fight on Tuesday night at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Inoue showcased his unique cocktail of power, speed and footwork from the opening bell, walking Donaire down and dropping him with a heat-seeking right hand near the end of the frame.

Donaire made it to his feet and was saved by the bell, but went down under a flurry of punches midway through the second and was immediately waved out by referee Michael Griffin at the 1:24 mark.

“The last right straight, I didn’t know it was a right one but during the intermission, I saw the video and knew this was going to be the one [that stopped Donaire],” said Inoue, who has also won belts at 108lbs and 115lbs. “This is magic for myself too. I put pressure on myself and did it.”

Inoue landed 42 of 85 punches (49%), compared to 16 of 71 for Donaire (23%), according to Compubox’s punch statistics.

The unbeaten 29-year-old, who has finished 20 of his 23 professional fights inside the distance, added Donaire’s WBC bantamweight title to his WBA and IBF straps. England’s Paul Butler holds the WBO belt, the only other major world title at 118lbs, teasing the delicious prospect of a potential four-belt unification fight later this year.