WBSS Bantamweight Final: Naoya Inoue vs. Nonito Donaire - 7 November 2019

[Ruthless-RKO]

Wouldn’t have been though. That body shot KD was all messed up.

Don’t think the ref knew what was going on at first, perhaps thought it was a low shot as did I at first

That’s what I thought.

[MightyWarrior]

I thought the referee looked a bit dopey during the ring instructions, and he definitely was in the 11th. Nonitos reaction to the body shot completely nonplussed the ref, and his brain shut down for 10 secs.

Someone should’ve counted the ref out

But what a fight, best of the year ? Josh Prog was brilliant too..

[ShadrachSimmo]

I thought the referee looked a bit dopey during the ring instructions, and he definitely was in the 11th. Nonitos reaction to the body shot completely nonplussed the ref, and his brain shut down for 10 secs.

Someone should’ve counted the ref out

But what a fight, best of the year ? Josh Prog was brilliant too..

Inoue looked like he was ready to celebrate. With all that was going on even he was able to see that the count was well over 10.

[Cholo_cws]

Absolutely scandalous by the ref.

Body shot lands at 1:54

Referee inexplicably blocks Inoue from following it up for the finish at 1:52

(The ringside ref then starts the count at this point as the ref stopped the action).

Donaire goes down at 1:50

I'm not sure if the ref picked the count up or started his own, but regardless Donaire was still on his knees at 1:36

So; Donaire gets up....

* 19 seconds after the body shot lands,

* 17 seconds after the ref stops the action and the ringside ref starts the count

* 15 seconds after he went down

I dunno why the F i keep betting on boxing, as good as that fight was, and as valiant an effort Donaire put up, that was a fvcking KO

Ya agree, felt like Nonito got forever

The ref looks to an official on the nearside (who's merely pointing the ref to the other side and to the official doing the counting) and my guess is the ref sees him pointing and thinks the counts at one and goes from there. The ringside official counting (who can be heard via a microphone) then gives up as the ref's not in sync. It almost felt like the actions of the ref both starting to kneel down and then getting up seem to hinder him performing the count properly and possibly counting out Donaire in the act of rising. That said, Donaire was listening to the count he was being given (like Buster Douglas did) so I've no real complaints. Looking at the ref on boxrec he seems to have been around for years but out in the wilderness lately, mostly refereeing 4 rounders. You do wonder how he got appointed for such a big fight but alas it seems nothing out of the ordinary in boxing today.

[margaret thatcher]

Didn't the ref actually count 10 too though? Yet then let it go on? I'm not sure Nonito actually timed it that well even if he was listening, but hey, the ref was so incompetent that it didn't matter

[handsofstone]

What a fight that was pretty spectacular, I'm not really sure why I was excited for this fight TBH coz I thought Inoue would end things before the halfway stage but Donaire didn't only just survive he made a fight of it and shook Inoue a couple times, my final score was 117-111 but could've been a couple rounds closer, the rounds were close, Inoue looked like he was punching as hard as ever, you could tell by the noise they made as he whipped those shots in to head and body, he was looking sharp but Donaire kept on in there and he started to land some clean punches himself, he burst Inoue's eye open with a left hook, cracking shot, the body work from both men was top drawer

The action ebbed and flowed and Donaire was coming on strong, the right hand he nailed Inoue with in the 9th showed just how good a beard Inoue has along with all the other weapons in his arsenal, but Inoue turned things back in his favour with the KD in the 11th, absolute sickener of a left hand to the body, seemed to be an eternity between the shot landing and Donaire finally going down, didn't help with the ref jumping inbetween them as Inoue went for the kill, just as well Donaire went down, Donaire still showed he wasn't done though he walked Inoue onto a cracker of a left hook before the round was out, I was glad to see Donaire go the distance, both men are a credit

[margaret thatcher]

Just watched it again, the ref reaches ten while Donaire's still on a knee, and actually has ten fingers held up, but he just waits for Nonito to get back up, and then he restarts it. Great job!

[Delta Jay]

I’m kind of glad the ref got it wrong. That’s how good the fight was.

[Cholo_cws]

Didn't the ref actually count 10 too though? Yet then let it go on? I'm not sure Nonito actually timed it that well even if he was listening, but hey, the ref was so incompetent that it didn't matter

Doesn't look like it. He was behind the ringside's official's count from the start and I think the ringside official must have delayed his count/started again (as he already had two fingers up just before Donaire went to the canvas) and then when the ref finally starts counting you hear two, three, four from the official and yet the ref is still behind because he's not paid any attention to the guy. The ref also briefly jumps in when he hears the 10 second clapper near the end of the round.
Anyway, I didn't mean to make this seem like who shot JFK. I also think Nonaire was lucky not to be counted out when rising but that's the way it goes sometimes.
Wish there was more lunchtime boxing!

[margaret thatcher]

I'm pretty sure he did, he actually has ten fingers up while Nonito is still down

[Cholo_cws]

Just watched it again, the ref reaches ten while Donaire's still on a knee, and actually has ten fingers held up, but he just waits for Nonito to get back up, and then he restarts it. Great job!

No, I think he uses his thumb as ten. He does nine motions with his hands. The voice giving the count is the ringside official and the ref is behind....in more ways than one.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[handsofstone]

Hard to tell what ref was actually counting, camera just misses his face but either way Donaire was down for longer than 10 seconds and even by timekeepers count it was over, the ref was awful, the count was wrong and why did he jump in between them before Donaire even went down?

[samwbr]

I’m kind of glad the ref got it wrong. That’s how good the fight was.

Hell of a check left hook off the ropes late on by Nonito after the KO

[samwbr]

Kalle looked his usual edgy sweaty nervy yet cocky self at ringside

[Ricky]

Ya agree, felt like Nonito got forever

The ref looks to an official on the nearside (who's merely pointing the ref to the other side and to the official doing the counting) and my guess is the ref sees him pointing and thinks the counts at one and goes from there. The ringside official counting (who can be heard via a microphone) then gives up as the ref's not in sync. It almost felt like the actions of the ref both starting to kneel down and then getting up seem to hinder him performing the count properly and possibly counting out Donaire in the act of rising. That said, Donaire was listening to the count he was being given (like Buster Douglas did) so I've no real complaints. Looking at the ref on boxrec he seems to have been around for years but out in the wilderness lately, mostly refereeing 4 rounders. You do wonder how he got appointed for such a big fight but alas it seems nothing out of the ordinary in boxing today.

The ref needs to be fired. If he hadn't bounced his big fat belly off inoue when Donaire was hurt then Nonito wouldn't have had the pleasure of going down on his own accord. The count was farcical too.

[littlepug]

Ref looked a bit nervy at the ring centre instructions then messed up the KD and then I thought it was weird that when listening to the scorecards being read out that the boxers were stood next to each other with a gap in between where the ref should’ve been holding their arms, instead, he was in front watching them ! That aside it was a brilliant watch, especially on a Thursday dinner time.

[Delta Jay]

I’m kind of glad the ref got it wrong. That’s how good the fight was.

Hell of a check left hook off the ropes late on by Nonito after the KO

The fight really stared after the KO

[Delta Jay]

Nice commentary from sky for a change.. who is it Andy something ? even though I think Darren just referred to him as Chris

Chris Loyd, he presents a podcast with Carl Frampton. I think he’s really good

[samwbr]

Hell of a check left hook off the ropes late on by Nonito after the KO

The fight really stared after the KO

I'll take 10 similar rounds in any title fight tbh, it was fantastic.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Naoya Inoue vs Nonito Donaire classic earns ‘Drama in Saitama’ nickname

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Delta Jay]

Give this its own thread!

[margaret thatcher]

Shouldn't that really say gracious in victory? Isn't Inoue the one being nice by letting Donaire take it?

[THEBUTCH]

Wow ! That was some fight

Inoue is the complete boxer. He ticks a box in every department. Donaire really gave it a tremendous effort. I've nothing but massive respect and admiration for these two champions.

When some are so quick to drag boxing through the mud, these two gifted warriors lift the sport above all others