By Matt Lieberman: Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire are now set to battle it out on November 7 in the final of the World Boxing Super Series [WBSS] at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Donaire will be the visiting fighter in facing the 26-year-old ‘Monster’ Inoue in Tokyo.
The Inoue vs. Donaire fight will be steamed on DAZN. The date of the fight will on a Thursday, which could negatively impact the amount of subscribers it pulls in on DAZN. Thursday isn’t normally a big date for fights, because boxing fans have to work on Fridays.
The unbeaten Inoue (18-0, 16 KOs) will have his IBF/WBA bantamweight titles on the line against WBA Super World champion Donaire (40-5, 26 KOs) the WBSS 118 pound final. The World Boxing Association has two world titles at bantamweight. Donaire has the upper level title called the ‘WBA Super World’ belt, whereas Inoue holds the lesser belt referred to as the ‘WBA World’ title.
It’s a confusing mess, and it was hoped that the WBA would have already gotten rid of the extra titles in each division, but unfortunately they haven’t done so. Suffice to say, Donaire, 36, has the more important WBA title with the ‘Super World’ strap, which he won last November in stopping champion Ryan Burnett in the fourth round Glasgow, Scotland.
“Source tells…the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight final between Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire is set for Nov. 7 at Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan. DAZN will stream the fight, which will take place on a Thursday,” said @MikeCoppinger.
Donaire giving Inoue home advantage
Inoue will have a big advantage in facing Donaire at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan on November 7. It’s easy to see why Donaire is giving Inoue the home advantage. Inoue is a HUGE star in Japan, and he brings in massive crowds each time he fights. In contrast, Donaire is a relatively popular fighter in the U.S, but not a big star. The Saitama Super Arena seats 37,000 fans, and you can bet that it’ll be fill filled on the night of the fight on November 7. That’s the good news for Donaire.
The bad news for him is that the vast majority of the fans will be there to cheer on Inoue, and they’ll make themselves hear. Inoue fights like a panther when he’s home in front of his fans, and it’s going to be hard for Donaire to deal with the early fire power of ‘Monster’. However, if Donaire is able to take it to the second half of the fight, he has a good chance of knocking out Inoue, because the Japanese fighter has never tasted the kind of punching power that Donaire possesses.
Inoue might as well be fighting himself on November 7, because Donaire hits every bit as hard if not harder than him. The only thing that Donaire lacks at this point is the speed and the accuracy that Inoue brings to the table. At 36, Donaire has a lost a lot of the hand speed he once had. He’s still fast, but not as quick as Inoue.