In his recent interview with BoxingScene.com Probellum CEO and Nonito Donaire promoter, Richard Schaefer admitted that he is in talks with the Naoya Inoue camp about a potential rematch.
WBA, IBF, and Ring Magazine Bantamweight titleholder Inoue and WBC Bantamweight champion Donaire would meet in a unification bout, probably set for April in Japan. They fought in 2019 in Saitama Super Arena with the Japanese boxer winning by a unanimous decision with scores of 111-116, 113-114, and 109-117.
In the end, Donaire suffered a knockdown and Inoue battled with a broken right eye socket with each of them landing 141 and 227 punches respectfully.
Schafer said that he’s in negotiations with Inoue promotor, Akihiko Honda who runs the Teiken Promotions. In his words, Donaire is ready to step into the lion’s den as it’s one of the biggest fights in the sport right now. He believes that Inoue thinks the same, so what’s left is to make this happen and he’s willing to use all of his resources to do it.
Both fighters had their last fights in December 2021, as Donaire retained his WBC bantamweight title by knocking out Reymart Gaballo in the 4th round on December 11th and Inoue defended his belts three days later by stopping unbeaten Aran Dipaen in the 8th.
Schaefer also stated that both fighters got bigger and better which only means a more interesting fight. However, there is also a matter of Inoue’s deal with the Top Rank as American promotion companies may have other plans for their Japanese superstar.
In that case, Schaeffer has other plans for the Filipino boxer in the form of a fight in 122-pound weight division with WBO and WBC champion, Stephen Fulton. Another option is bout at 118 pounds against WBO champion, John Riel Casimero. This all – Filipino fight was scheduled to take place last summer, but it was cancelled after Donaire was unhappy with Casimero’s volunteer VADA enrollment.
Want to see the rematch? If not, let us know which fight you think is best for each man in the comments below!
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