Nonito Donaire Jr., the 43-year-old “Filipino Flash,” suffered an eighth-round technical knockout loss to Riku Masuda in their WBA bantamweight title eliminator fight at Yokohama Buntai on March 15.
Despite his experience and determination, Donaire was overwhelmed by the younger Masuda, who had already scored a knockdown in the seventh round.
Donaire’s corner stopped the fight with 1:12 left in the eighth, following a deep cut above his right eye from a sixth-round headbutt.
Masuda’s victory sets him up for another shot at WBA bantamweight champion Seiya Tsutsumi, improving his record to 11-1.
The loss dropped Donaire’s professional record to 43 wins and 10 defeats, signaling a possible twilight in his storied career.
Source: PhilNews24 | March 16, 2026
DONAIRE’S FIGHT ENDS IN 8TH-ROUND TKO LOSS TO MASUDA
You might be interested in
Latest from Sport
The Philippine Women’s National Team is confident heading into its Asian Games opener against Uzbekistan, with
Elena Rybakina captured her first US Open title and rose to the world No. 1 ranking
Alex Eala made her runway debut at the Tory Burch show during New York Fashion Week
Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is reportedly in talks for a potential mega-fight against four-division world
PLDT High Speed Hitters secured third place in the PVL Invitational after defeating Creamline Cool Smashers,