[Boxing] Nonito Donaire vs Riku Masuda - WBA Bantamweight Title Elim - March 15

[lionheart78]

In comparison:

Experience goes to the Filipino Flash, but it looks like Masuda is a power puncher with almost 90% of his fight ending in a knockout. So that is something that Donaire will have to look at. If he can forced Masuda to go and fight into the distance and soften him up throughout the fight, then Donaire will have a great chance to pull a upset and win in the judges scorecard. However, we might say that Donaire is obviously not in his prime anymore as he 3 out of the last 4 fights he had.

In addition, if Masuda goes on the offensive and has yet to develop an after-punch defense, Nonito might have a high chance to win the fight via KO.  We all know that Nonito is a good counter-puncher, but I am concerned about the speed of reaction since Nonito is way past his prime and somehow slows down.  Other than that, I still think Nonito still have that explosive punches that can be lethal at any time of the match.

[coin-investor]

I have a hard time watching the fight because Donaire is getting beaten a lot. His corner did the right thing. Although the fight was close, I don't think Donaire can pull a knockout or a comeback.
This is the time for Donaire to hang up his gloves; there's no need to prove he was a multi-division titleholder and was considered one of the top Filipino boxers.
With his vast experience in boxing, he can still be involved in the sport as a trainer, manager, or promoter, helping create new generations of champions.

[freedomgo]

So I think that call was the best thing to do instead of letting their boxer received more damage, though he can still win via KO but that's more unlikely since he can't throw a punch anymore and just doing a defense. Overall, it's a good match both boxers were professional and disciplined until the end of match.

Donaire was badly hurt, looks like his age is already reflecting on his performance.. not the same boxer anymore and this already calls for retirement so he won’t suffer more damage if he still decides to fight. He has already proven himself, nothing more to achieve and retiring is a good way of keeping his legacy in boxing.

So I guess he just has to accept the reality that he is no longer a KO artist anymore.

[gunhell16]

I watched their fight. Right from the start, Donaire controlled the momentum of the fight, although it wasn't easy for him to knock down his opponent because his opponent was timing him just right; with just a little mistake, the situation could have turned around.

That's why Masuda didn't have a chance to do it to Donaire; instead, Donaire had a chance to knock down Masuda in Round 9, and the referee immediately stopped the fight when he saw
that Masuda was going to be beaten up by Donaire again. So this is another good result for Donaire with his win.

[acroman08]

I watched their fight. Right from the start, Donaire controlled the momentum of the fight, although it wasn't easy for him to knock down his opponent because his opponent was timing him just right; with just a little mistake, the situation could have turned around.

That's why Masuda didn't have a chance to do it to Donaire; instead, Donaire had a chance to knock down Masuda in Round 9, and the referee immediately stopped the fight when he saw
that Masuda was going to be beaten up by Donaire again. So this is another good result for Donaire with his win.

I'm confused by this post, this post made it sound like Donaire won.

Btw, Masuda won the match via TKO on 8th round. Donaire was knocked down in the 7th round, and in the 8th round, Donaire's team threw the towel, and the referee stopped the fight. Donaire took heavy damage to his right eye.

Donaire is not the same as he used to, it's time for him to retire.

[FinneysTrueVision]

Donaire was very competitive in the first half of the fight, but similar to his last fight, he started to fade as the rounds passed. This time he was facing somebody who hit harder and whose power he was not able to take well. Masuda proved that he was the real deal. For Donaire, hopefully this is the last time we see him inside the ring. He showed that he is still formidable, but the age disadvantage is simply impossible to overcome.

With this win, Masuda earns the right to avenge the only defeat of his career against Tsutsumi. That has the potential to be a really great fight now that they are more experienced and in their prime.

[bisdak40]

Donaire was very competitive in the first half of the fight, but similar to his last fight, he started to fade as the rounds passed. This time he was facing somebody who hit harder and whose power he was not able to take well. Masuda proved that he was the real deal. For Donaire, hopefully this is the last time we see him inside the ring. He showed that he is still formidable, but the age disadvantage is simply impossible to overcome.

With this win, Masuda earns the right to avenge the only defeat of his career against Tsutsumi. That has the potential to be a really great fight now that they are more experienced and in their prime.

Yeah, father time has already caught up with Nonito Donaire and i hope also that that will be his last fight as it was clear that he could no longer go the distance, i mean he clearly faded in the later rounds. Even in defeat with Masuda, i could say that he fought with his heart out and nothing to be embarrassed with that loss. Every good thing must come to an end and this is the end for the Filipino Flash and i'm proud that i saw him fight during his peak.

[Dave1]

So I think that call was the best thing to do instead of letting their boxer received more damage, though he can still win via KO but that's more unlikely since he can't throw a punch anymore and just doing a defense. Overall, it's a good match both boxers were professional and disciplined until the end of match.

Donaire was badly hurt, looks like his age is already reflecting on his performance.. not the same boxer anymore and this already calls for retirement so he won’t suffer more damage if he still decides to fight. He has already proven himself, nothing more to achieve and retiring is a good way of keeping his legacy in boxing.

So I guess he just has to accept the reality that he is no longer a KO artist anymore.

Or better yet, call it quits and hang up his glove. As a fan, we don't like Donaire to be hit and get knock down like that. And the power is no longer there, and his timing is a bit off. And for his age, he should really stop boxing for good.

The thing is that it's really very hard for boxers to just quit like Manny Pacquiao. The call of the fans, the rush on being in a ring against another boxer. But he has to consider his health as well as he might got hurt permanently.