Analyst on Donaire vs. Inoue 2: 'One good serving deserves another'

Veteran boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino says it is just right for WBC world bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. and Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue to go at it one more time.

Inoue, who currently holds The RING, WBA, and IBF world bantamweight titles, defeated Donaire almost three years via unanimous decision in a bout touted as the 2019 fight of the year. They are slated to face each other again in a unification on June 7 at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

“They had a great first meeting that was the fight of the year. Donaire was something else in that fight even though he was a huge underdog against the monster of Japan.

“He was supposed to be flattened and yet Donaire stood his ground, showed that he can humanize the monster. In fact, Inoue never looked so human and vulnerable. He was rocked, he was hurt, and he suffered a fractured orbital bone.”

Donaire, 39, scored two impressive wins via stoppages since that fateful night. He is now a world champion again and has successfully defended the title in his last outing against Reymart Gaballo.

And while he is once again an underdog in the Inoue rematch, it is nevertheless a must-watch contest according to Tolentino.

“WBC was so impressed with that showing even though he lost they gave him a shot at the title then held by Nordine Oubaali. Donaire's performance was that impressive. Like I said, one good serving deserves another,” Tolentino stressed.

—JMB, GMA News