What does Flash have left in the tank?

By James Blears

One gentle blow for luck, and then a final fling of the fighting dice for the extraordinary Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, defending his WBC bantamweight Green and Gold Belt against formidable WBA (Super), IBF and The Ring champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue, who`s a decade younger than him…dateline Tuesday June 7th.

It`s unfortunate to say the least, that it`s taken more than thirty months to get these two fireballs into the same boiling cauldron again, especially as their first fight was no “Flash in the pan.” This time, the location will be The Super Arena, Saitama, Japan. Just the same place they first fought on November 7th 2019 in the World Super Series Final for the Muhammad Ali Trophy, which Naoya won By UD, but that doesn`t begin to tell the tale of this fabulous and fabled encounter… not by a long chalk.

That wondrous pitched battle, was voted as The Ring Magazine`s Fight Of The Year. Every second of every round was just tremendous. The humbling occasionally stumbling power, the subtlety, exquisite footwork, marvelous ring generalship. A moulding and melding of glory. It far and away transcended a boxing match, becoming a cliffhanger, exactingly testing the outer limits of ingenuity, endurance, thinking cap brilliance, hellacious firepower, but ultimately a battle/batter of iron tempered leaden willpower.

No quarter asked, none given. But at the end, while the older man was quietly sitting on his stool, ruefully contemplating his lumps and bumps, aches and pains, which are accentuated by encroaching middle age, the younger one who`d won but was bloodied, went across, knelt down, embraced him and paid a touching tribute. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, as the ultimate mark of respect and tribute was paid and gladly accepted in such a dignified manner. A Coronation of Congratulation. This is what it makes, this is what it takes, to bestow BOXING GREATNESS in its finest hour.

Naoya aged twenty nine, is today still undefeated. His record is 22-0, 19 KO`S. No one had ever really tested his prodigious supremacy until four division champion Nonito stepped up, figuratively grabbed him “By the scruff of the neck,” and dragged him down into the trenches for the ultimate muddy marathon.

As, Flanders and Swann sang: “Mud, mud, glorious mud. Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood!”

It was an eye opener…it was an eye closer. Yet never conducted or inflicted with audacity, temerity, or the bile of ill will, because Nonito had made his bones while Naoya was still in the cradle and then a venturing tottering toddler. Nonito may have passed the flame, but then he tried to grab it back, even though he burned his fingers in so doing.

The only thing more daunting than seeing Nonito in front of you in a boxing ring, is seeing two of him there. Double vision! And, that`s exactly what happened to Naoya from round two onwards. Up against the ropes he got careless and was clobbered with the grandfather clock of a counter left hook. He momentarily hung on for dear life until his head cleared. That one almighty punch had broken his nose, fractured his right eye socket and torn a large scimitar like gash on to his right eyelid. A ferocious, ferrous demonstration for the monster, of just how hard the old man hits, given half a chance.

Lesser men would have caved in or wilted on the spot. Instead of feinting, they`d have fainted! Naoya recalls that the pain was searing, agonizing and excruciating. All the worse when yet more punches landed in the same hit zone. His nose was bleeding profusely. So, as only champions do, he gritted his teeth and fought back. As they said from the time of Rationing, he was digging for victory on his allotment.

Less than twenty seconds before the end of the fifth a double left jab from Naoya set up Nonito for a blockbuster right to the side of the face, which so very nearly dropped him.

A wily old veteran can often take the sting out of a punch, by partially dodging or deflecting its incoming trajectory, a fraction of a second before it inevitably lands, but he took this one flush, and it badly stunned him. Severe follow up pressure was liberally and judiciously applied. The bell was sweet music to Nonito`s burning ears. Was someone talking about him?

Naoya realized that like a snowbird, his fleeting chance had come, flown away and gone. So with the patience of a Great, he started work on adapting, developing and carving out another opening.

Far from done, big straight rights from Nonito in rounds eight and nine, hurt Naoya, who visibly winced. His nose bleed was considerably worsening. So to stem the tide, in round ten he launched his own feline onslaught and suddenly Nonito was looking every bit his age. Far worse was to follow. In round eleven Naoya drove a stake into his liver. It was a heartrending moment! The import and impact of that left hook was delayed for a fraction of a second, as nerve centers screeched, and the pain threshold was breached.

Nonito doubled up in agony, but realizing that standing still or upright would elicit an ensuing avalanche, he bent double, doubled up, and scuttled forward, before going down on to one knee, sucking in copious draughts of air and trying to overcome the lapping waves of stabbing pain, barely beating the count.

Naoya`s face registered bewilderment. He knew exactly how hard he`d hit and buckled Nonito and to what effect. Surely Nonito couldn`t brush off this molten meteorite? Another miscalculation, because therein lies the difference between an opponent and an all- time great rival. As Jack Dempsey said: “A champion gets up when he can`t!”

From then on it was mostly survival mode and thwarting one of the best finishers in the business. As the bell ending the fight rang, both hugged each other for a seeming age. The balm of relief, after they`d fought an epic. Naoya, who by appearance resembles a high school student had earned his BA, MA and PHD with Honors, all in the space and course of a thirty six minutes master-class. Nonito, had reached the gates of hell. His whiskers were singed. Somehow he fought his way back, while providing a tutorial of distinction.

It wasn`t Nonito`s last hurrah. Just when we thought his chance had passed, he saved the best almost to last, stopping WBC champion Nordine Oubaali in four tempestuous rounds. Aged thirty eight he`d become the oldest ever bantamweight champion. And then aged thirty nine he stopped compatriot Reymart Gaballo in the fourth. Nonito`s tremendous record is now 42-6, 28 KO`s.

Since the meeting with Nonito, Naoya has KO`d Jason Moloney in seven, Michael Dasmarinas KO 3, and Aran Dipaen TKO in eight. The pinacle of achievement. He`s at his peak. Nonito still isn`t over the hill, but can he muster an Everest type all-out final assault on the summit to dislodge the Monster Yeti?

WBC STATISTICS
WBC / IBF / WBA Bantamweight World Championships
June 7, 2022 / Saitama, Japan / Saitama Super Arena

TEIKEN PROMOTIONS AND TOP RANK PRESENT:

NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE JR. (Philippines)
WBC Bantamweight World Champion / 2-time, 3rd Title Defense
Age: 39 / Date of birth: November 16, 1982
Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada / Birthplace: Bohol, Philippines
Record: 42-6, 28 KOs / Total rounds: 297 / World championship fights: 17-4, 14 KOs
Height: 5’6″ – 168cm / Reach: 68″ – 173cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager, trainer: Rachel Donaire

NAOYA “Monster” INOUE (Japan)
IBF Bantamweight World Champion / 5th Title Defense
WBA Bantamweight Super Champion / 4th Title Defense
Age: 29 / Date of birth: April 10, 1993
Residence, birthplace: Zama, Kanagawa, Japan
Record: 22-0, 19 KOs / Total rounds: 125 / World championship fights: 17-0, 15 KOs
Height: 5’5″ – 165cm / Reach: 67.5″ – 171cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Sayuri Ohashi / Trainer: Shingo Inoue

WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS
1. Eder Jofre (Brazil) 1963 – 1965
2. Masahiko Harada (Jap) 1965 – 1968
3. Lionel Rose (Aust) 1968 – 1969
4. Ruben Olivares (Mex) 1969 – 1970
5. Chucho Castillo (Mex) 1970 – 1971
6. Ruben Olivares (Mex) * 1971 – 1972
7. Rafael Herrera (Mex) 1972
8. Enrique Pinder (Pan) 1972
9. Rafael Herrera (Mex) * 1973 – 1974
10. Rodolfo Martinez (Mex) 1974 – 1976
11. Carlos Zarate (Mex) 1976 – 1979
12. Lupe Pintor (Mex) 1979 – 1982
13. Albert Davila (US) 1983 – 1984
14. Daniel Zaragoza (Mex) 1985
15. Miguel Lora (Col) 1985 – 1988
16. Raul Perez (Mex) 1988 – 1991
17. Greg Richardson (US) 1991
18. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Jap) 1991 – 1993
19. Victor Rabanales (Mex) (Interim) 1992 – 1993
20. Jungil Byun (Kor) 1993
21. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Jap) (Interim)* 1993 – 1994
22. Yasuei Yakushiji (Jap) 1993 – 1995
23. Wayne McCullough (Ire) 1995 – 1996
24. Sirimongkol Singmanassuk (Thai) 1996 – 1997
25. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Jap) * 1997 – 1998
26. Veeraphol Nakhonluang (Thai) 1998 – 2005
27. Hozumi Hasegawa (Japan) 2005 – 2010
28. Fernando Montiel (Mexico) 2010 – 2011
29. Nonito Donaire (Phil) 2011
30. Shinsuke Yamanaka (Japan) 2011 – 2017
31. Luis Nery (Mexico) 2017 – 2018
32. Takuma Inoue (Japan) Interim 2018
33. Nordine Oubaali (France) 2019 – 2021
34. Nonito Donaire (Phil)* 2021 –
*Regained
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY:
29 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, four of whom have regained the title: Ruben Olivares (Mexico), Rafael Herrera (Mexico), Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Japan) two times, Nonito Donaire.

137 bantamweight world title bouts have been held in WBC history.

WBC TOP 10 BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONS
1. Carlos Zarate (Mexico)
2. Eder Jofre (Brazil)
3. Ruben Olivares (Mexico)
4. Rafael Herrera (Mexico)
5. Veeraphol Nakhonluang (Thai)
6. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Japan)
7. Jungil Byun (Korea)
8. Yasuei Yakushiji (Japan)
9. Hozumi Hasegawa (Japan)
10. Shinsuke Yamanaka (Japan)
MEMORABLE WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS
Dec. 11, 2021 Nonito Donaire KO4 Reymart Gaballo – Carson, California
May 29, 2021 Nonito Donaire KO4 Nordine Oubaali – Carson, California
Nov. 7, 2019 Nordine Oubaali W12 Takuma Inoue – Saitama, Japan
Jan. 19, 2019 Nordine Oubaali W12 Rau’Shee Warren – Las Vegas, Nevada
Aug. 15, 2017 Luis Nery KO4 Shinsuke Yamanaka – Kyoto, Japan
Sep. 22, 2015 Shinsuke Yamanaka W12 Anselmo Moreno – Tokyo, Japan
Nov. 6, 2011 Shinsuke Yamanaka TKO11 Christian Esquivel – Tokyo, Japan
Feb. 19, 2011 Nonito Donaire TKO2 Fernando Montiel – Las Vegas, Nevada
Apr. 30, 2010 Fernando Montiel TKO4 Hozumi Hasegawa – Tokyo, Japan
Apr. 16, 2005 Hozumi Hasegawa W12 Veeraphol Sahaprom – Tokyo, Japan
June 25, 2000 Veeraphol Sahaprom W12 Toshiaki Nishioka – Takasago, Japan
Aug. 10, 1996 Sirimongkol Singwancha TKO5 Jose Luis Bueno – Phitsanulok, Thailand
Jul. 30, 1995 Wayne McCullough W12 Yasuei Yakushiji – Nagoya, Japan
Sep. 17, 1992 Victor Rabanales TKO9 Joichiro Tatsuyoshi – Osaka, Japan
Sep. 19, 1991 Joichiro Tatsuyoshi TKO10 Greg Richardson – Moriguchi, Japan
Oct. 29, 1988 Raul Perez W12 Miguel Lora – Las Vegas, Nevada
Aug. 9, 1985 Miguel Lora W12 Daniel Zaragoza – Miami, Florida
June 3, 1979 Lupe Pintor W15 Carlos Zarate – Las Vegas, Nevada
May 8, 1976 Carlos Zarate KO9 Rodolfo Martinez – Inglewood, California
Dec. 7, 1974 Rodolfo Martinez TKO4 Rafael Herrera – Merida, Yucatan
Mar. 19, 1972 Rafael Herrera KO5 Ruben Olivares – Mexico City, Distrito Federal
Aug. 22, 1969 Ruben Olivares KO4 Lionel Rose – Inglewood, California
Mar. 8, 1969 Lionel Rose W15 Alan Rudkin – Melbourne, Australia
May 18, 1965 Fighting Harada W15 Eder Jofre – Nagoya, Japan
Apr. 4, 1963 Eder Jofre KO3 Katsutoshi Aoki – Kokugican, Japan