{"id":140540,"date":"2025-01-10T14:32:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T20:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/nonito-donaire-opina-sobre-naoya-inoue\/"},"modified":"2025-01-10T14:59:55","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T20:59:55","slug":"nonito-donaires-maestro-assessment-of-naoya-inoue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/nonito-donaires-maestro-assessment-of-naoya-inoue\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonito Donaire\u2019s Maestro Assessment of Naoya Inoue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nonito Donaire\u2019s Maestro Assessment of Naoya Inoue<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By James Blears<\/p>\n

A daunting task awaits Australia\u2019s Sam Goodman, who takes on WBC, IBF and WBO super-bantamweight Champion Naoya Inoue on January 24th<\/sup> at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

The fight was scheduled for Christmas Eve, with everyone raring to be present and correct, but it unravelled, because Sam suffered a cut eyebrow in a final sparring session. So, here we are again\u2026 awaiting fireworks.<\/p>\n

What better a person than the Great Nonito \u2018\u2019FIlipino Flash\u2019\u2019 Donare to seek out, in order to gain a maestro tutorial about the risks, factors on the dais and dividends on the table. To the victor the plaudits. Who will be bold\u2026 and who will fold?<\/p>\n

A Superstar in his own right, via His fabled right, left and other assortment of pinpoint angular punches, Nonito has also won world titles in four weight categories. He is the oldest boxer to have won the bantamweight title, at the grand old age of thirty- eight. During twenty- four years of a glorious pro career, he has built, crafted, honed and burnished a wondrous record of 42-8, with 28 KO\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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Nonito has twice fought \u2018\u2019The Monster.\u2019\u2019 The first audacious, arduous, magnificent challenge, was at the twilight zone age of 37, In the Final of The World Boxing Super Series, and it proved to be a classic for the ages. Diverse, subtle and powerful, Nonito posed all sorts of puzzles for Naoya to absorb , learn from and resolve. As The Monster recalls with ruthful hindsight, gained from the double vision he suffered following that ruthless blow: \u2018\u2019If there\u2019s anything worse than fighting one Nonito, it\u2019s seeing him in double form!\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

In that round two, Nonito capitalized on a monstrous momentary lapse of concentration by Naoya, to unleash and land a monumental left hook. That one punch broke Naoya\u2019s nose, fractured his right cheekbone and opened a sliced divot over his right eye. Naoya winced, soaked it up, but then re-grouped, fought back, focused and then applied the severest pressure to his ageing opponent, gaining the upper hand and turning the tables, until he nearly closed the show in round eleven, via a searing left hook to the liver.<\/p>\n

Digging deep, delving into his recess reserviors of resourcefulness, survival instincts, sheer guts and Champion\u2019s willpower, Nonito instinctively scuttled across the ring, buying himself precious seconds\u2026 before going down. Then somehow resisting the searing pain, he got up, weathered and survived the ensuing onslaught typhoon and somehow fought back to make it to the final bell. Behind on the scorecards, he\u2019d been seeking and gambling for a KO, to pull it out of the fire.<\/p>\n

After the final bell tolled, Naoya went straight across to the corner of Nonito, where the older man was sensibly sitting and resting on his stool, reverently knelt, tenderly embracing the vintage Maestro.<\/p>\n

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The ultimate mark of respect from one Four Division Champion to another. A magical, magnificent, humbling and deeply moving moment, highlighting Boxing at its magisterial finest. In the rematch, Nonito chanced his arm, engaging in a firefight from the opening bell and was stopped in round two. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!<\/p>\n

Few men if any, are better qualified to ponder and assess the upcoming fight between Naoya Inoue and Sam Goodman. Blessed with fists of Kryptonite, Nonito who is also eurudite, possesses the ability to formulate and apply the sophisticated strategy of a Ring Generissimo.<\/p>\n

The two occasions when Naoya Inoue was almost caught napping, was in round two against Nonito and round one, courtesy of a left hook with which Luis Nery dropped him. Those rare opportunities presented themselves early, because all boxers are still getting warmed up at this stage, before they settle into their fighting groove.<\/p>\n

Nonito explains: \u2018\u2019It\u2019s anyone\u2019s game early on. That is something you have to gamble on and I did just that in round two. Everyone is vulnerable in the beginning and indeed Inoue himself.<\/p>\n