BoxRec

DONAIRE/TSUTSUMI ON DECEMBER 17!

Nonito Donaire and Seiya Tsutsumi 堤聖也
will CLASH for the WBA Bantamweight World title on December 17 in Tokyo, Japan!

Donaire won the ‘interim’ Bantamweight World title against Andres Campos in June

I can't believe Donaire is still fighting. I don't know who this Tsutsumi is, but if he's any good he should be able to win this pretty comfortably at this point.

Seiya Tsutsumi’s title reign restored, full WBA belt at stake vs. Nonito Donaire

Seiya Tsutsumi and Nonito Donaire have finally learned the exact stakes for their forthcoming clash.

A ratings swap has resulted in the restoration of Tsutsumi’s full WBA 118lbs reign, while previous claimant Antonio Vargas was downgraded to “Champion in Recess.” With the move, Tsutsumi’s December 17 meeting with Donaire now becomes a title consolidation clash.

Donaire, 43-8 (28 KOs) still holds the interim version of the belt; his title status was unaffected by the most recent WBA ratings update. However, he will now challenge for Tsutsumi’s higher tier belt atop a title fight tripleheader from the famed Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.

Vargas was the previously recognized full titlist. He was upgraded from interim beltholder after Tsutsumi was physically unable to honor an imposed deadline for their ordered title consolidation clash. The same dilemma left Vargas unable to proceed with the match, just in time for Tsutsumi to reclaim his belt and defend against a legendary former four-division champ.

Tsutsumi, 12-0-3 (8 KOs) previously held the fully version of the WBA title, which he won in a thrilling 12-round, points victory over Takuma Inoue last October 12 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena. The unbeaten 29-year-old made one successful defense, in a rare unanimous draw verdict with countryman and former flyweight titlist Daigo Higa. All three judges scored their February 24 contest at 114-114, six rounds apiece to produce the stalemate.

Vargas, 19-1-1 (11 KOs) was the interim titlist in waiting at the time, whom Tsutsumi was immediately ordered to next face. However, lingering injuries from the hard-fought battle with Higa left Tsutsumi unable to honor that request within the proposed WBA deadline, which resulted in his briefly relinquishing the title in exchange for “Champion in Recess” status.

The significance of the designation is that it gives boxers power to immediately challenge for their old title once they are officially cleared to resume their career.

Tsutsumi did just that, immediately after Vargas’ own draw verdict with Higa on July 30 in Yokohama.

The bout marked Vargas’ lone title defense after his reign was upgraded, though he in turn is no longer able to honor his mandatory title defense. The 29-year-old from Kissimmee, Florida – who represented the U.S. in the 2016 Rio Olympics – withdrew from the proceedings due to the unfortunate passing of his mother.

The WBA sympathized with his emotional state, as Vargas is now afforded the same privileges that led Tsutsumi to reclaim his old belt.

Donaire claimed the interim belt in a technical unanimous decision over Andres Campos on June 14 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The fight was put together on short notice, as means for the WBA to have Donaire participate in its annual “KO to Drugs” festival.

Donaire previously held true major titles at flyweight, bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight. The future Hall of Famer from Las Vegas by way of the Philippines has already twice set the record as the oldest bantamweight champion.

The mark was first set when he defeated Ryan Burnett to win the WBA 118lbs title in November 2018, just two weeks shy of his 36th birthday. Donaire surpassed countryman Gerry Penalosa to claim the honor, and then broke his own record 30 months later when he knocked out unbeaten Nordine Oubaali in May 2021 to win the WBC 118lbs title.

A win over Tsutsumi will not only see Donaire rewrite history, but join a very intimate list of boxers who claimed a major title at age 40 or older. Donaire recently celebrated his 43rd birthday.

Tsutsumi is listed as -275 betting favorite according to bet365 to retain his title.

Fight week!!

Seiya Tsutsumi, Nonito Donaire both ripped and under 118lbs limit for title fight

He still has to get the job done in the ring, but Nonito Donaire at least defied Father Time at the scale.

The middle-aged future Hall of Fame arrived at a ripped and ready 117.75lbs in his bid to become a four-time bantamweight titlist. Donaire will challenge unbeaten Seiya Tsutsumi, who was also 117.75lbs for their WBA bantamweight title consolidation bout Wednesday at the famed Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

Tsutsumi, 12-0-3 (8 KOs), will risk his WBA 118lbs title against the 43-year-old Donaire, 43-8 (28 KOs), who holds an interim version of that belt.

The exact stakes weren’t known at the time their fight was made earlier this year, which speaks to the professionalism of both boxers who don’t shy away from any challenge.

Tsutsumi will attempt the first defense of his second reign, which was reinstated in November after Antonio Vargas was unavailable for their ordered mandatory title fight. The two swapped places – Tsutsumi’s WBA belt returned and Vargas being named “Champion in Recess”, functionally reversing a ruling from earlier this year.

Vargas was previously upgraded from interim to full titlist when it was Tsutsumi who couldn’t move forward with a mandatory title fight. Injuries sustained in his draw with Daigo Higa this past February didn’t full heal in time, which prompted the ruling.

Four months prior to the brutal clash with Higa, Tsutsumi defeated Takuma Inoue to win the WBA belt. Inoue has since claimed the WBC belt at this weight in a November 24 win over Tenshin Nasukawa.

Donaire, 43-8 (28 KOs) has won titles at flyweight, bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight. The 43-year-old Vegas-based Filipino also previously held a secondary belt at 115lbs and claimed an interim WBA 118lbs belt in a win over Andres Campos this past June in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The latter fight was taken on short notice, with the always in-shape Donaire making weight even with a truncated champ. It was a different story on Tuesday, as he sported a chiseled physique to go along with his opponent 14 years his junior.

Also on the show:

Tokyo’s Kyosuke Takami, 10-0 (8 KOs), and Puerto Rico’s Rene Santiago, 14-4 (9 KOs), both made weight for their terrific 108lbs title unification clash.

Takami weighed 117.75lbs as he risks his WBA belt for the first time. Santiago was 107.5lbs ahead of his maiden defense of the WBO belt he claimed in an upset win over Shokichi Iwata on March 13 at this very venue.

Los Angeles’ Anthony Olascuaga, 10-1 (7 KOs, returns to his home away from home for the fourth defense of his WBO 112lbs belt. The 28-year-old American weighed 111.25lbs, while challenger Taku Kuwahara, 14-2 (9 KOs), was also under the limit but slightly heavier than the defending titlist at 111.75lbs.

All three bouts will air live on U-Next in Japan, available in external markets only with the use of a VPN. Streaming outlets were not made available for neither the U.K. nor the U.S., which means you will have to tune into BS for live coverage on Wednesday.

Fight day!

Date: December 17, 2025
Location: Ryogoku Kokugikan - Tokyo, Japan
Stream: U-NEXT
Start time: 5:25 pm JST | 3:25 am ET | 12:25 am PT | 8:25 am GMT

Fight Card

WBA Bantamweight Championship
Seiya Tsutsumi vs. Nonito Donaire

WBO Flyweight Championship
Anthony Olascuaga vs. Taku Kuwahara

Unified WBA & WBO Light Flyweight Championship
Kyosuke Takami vs. Rene Santiago

8 Round Flyweight Bout
Seigo Yuri Akui vs. Vencent Lacar

4 Round Super Bantamweight Bout
Tsuyoshi Nishimoto vs. Yu Ezaki

*information subject to change Bout

Anthony Olascuaga: Being this active keeps me sharp and motivated

In a weight division where American fighters are often forgotten about, if not dismissed outright, Anthony Olascuaga has found a way to thrive.

His career-long affiliation with Teiken Promotions has allowed Olascuaga to remain the most active major titlist among male U.S. fighters. The reigning WBO 112lbs title claimant is set for his fourth overall defense and third in 2025 as he faces Taku Kuwahara. Their scheduled 12-round contest is part of a U-Next title fight tripleheader this Wednesday from Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.

“I love being this active,” Olascuaga told BS. “This schedule keeps you in the gym, keeps you sharp and keeps you motivated. You want to be able to stay in the ring and have something to look forward to.

“You have that incentive to stay ready at all times.”

The opportunity is just three months removed from his most recent outing, when he was afforded a doubly rare occurrence – a fight in the U.S. and as the main event. The 26-year-old Los Angeles native had not fought stateside since October 2022 – just five bouts into his career – prior to his September 11 early knockout win over Juan Carlos Camacho in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Wedged in between were five straight fights in Tokyo – again, the benefit of having Teiken as a co-promoter (along with All Star Boxing, Inc.). Olascuaga, 10-1 (7 KOs), won his WBO belt on the road and twice defended in Tokyo against former major titleholders before he returned home for his latest outing.

The DAZN-aired headliner kicked off a blockbuster fight week, topped by Terence Crawford’s September 13 win over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to claim the undisputed 168lbs championship.

“Coming into the fight, it was a dream come true,” admitted Olascuaga. “Being the main event not just in the U.S. but in Vegas, I just wanted to deliver. There were a few guys on the show who I came up with in the amateurs. My family was at one of my fights for the first time. It was surreal.

“One thing was new to me: There was no press conference for my fight. It was cool; it just meant I didn’t have to worry about any interviews that week. I don’t have anything against it, but it was cool to just relax, plus I talked to my favorite reporter for that fight (laughs).”

It’s now back to business as usual for Olascuaga – fighting often, and overseas.

Original plans called for Olascuaga to face Tokyo’s Jukiya Iimura as part of the card topped by the Seiya Tsutsumi-Nonito Donaire WBA 118lbs title consolidation clash. Olascuaga’s fight was not announced at the time of the initial launch press conference, however, because Iimura withdrew the night before.

Teiken quickly secured the services of Kuwahara, 14-2 (9 KOs), though Olascuaga was only concentrated on when – and not whom – he was fighting next.

“I was just getting prepared to fight. The opponent didn’t matter to me,” insisted Olascuaga. “In the amateurs, you entered tournaments and waited to find out who you were fighting. I had an idea of who the opponent would be at the time, but we didn’t center our training camp around it because it was never for certain. Nothing ever is until we’re both in the ring.

“Besides, who I fight doesn’t matter because I already have the best possible training partner any fighter can ask for.”

That “best possible training partner” would be unbeaten three-division champ Junto Nakatani. Both train under the watchful eye of the highly respected Rudy Hernandez in the Little Tokyo section of L.A.

Nakatani and Olascuaga were frequently paired together on shows in Tokyo, though oddly that was not the case at all in 2025. However, their year ends in sync.

Nakatani, 31-0 (24 KOs), is set to make his 122lbs debut versus Mexico’s Sebastian Hernandez on December 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – just 10 days after Olascuaga’s clash.

“The timing for this fight couldn’t have been better,” said Olascuaga. “Junto and I are both fighting in December, just [10] days apart. We both have incentives to win big – and it’s even better when you get to do this alongside friends.”

Nakatani’s bout takes place on the same show that houses undisputed 122lbs champion Naoya Inoue in a defense against Alan David Picasso. Wins by both are expected to lead to a blockbuster showdown in May at the Tokyo Dome in easily the biggest all-Japanese clash ever.

Olascuaga hopes to add to his gym’s good fortunes, first with a win and then with a major fight of his own – at least for the flyweight division. Firmly in his sights is WBA/WBC titlist Ricardo Sandoval, who has been granted a voluntary title defense for his next fight.

“I don’t know if he will choose me for his voluntary. I really can’t tell you where his mind is at,” said Olascuaga. “Obviously speaking for myself, I really hope we fight next. I’m sure he’ll be looking at my fight. Hopefully, I don’t scare him off and we can make this fight happen.

“I’m sure he wants to further unify this division, so come on and try to get this belt. You don’t hear very often about flyweights pursuing undisputed. I really think me and Ricardo Sandoval would be a huge fight for the division, and for L.A. if we can have it out here.”

If not, then Olascuaga plans to do what he and his team already do best.

“First thing’s first, and that’s getting [Kuwahara] up out of here,” said Olascuaga. “After that – if Sandoval don’t want this right away, then it’s on to the next one. I have a lot of positive momentum going and I’m not gonna let any one person take that away from me.”

Seiya Tsutsumi Edges Split Win Over Nonito Donaire, Retains WBA 118-Pound Title

Seiya Tsutsumi didn't have it all his own way and needed to recover from a stunning fourth-round sequence but held firm over the championship rounds to eek beyond Nonito Donaire, retaining his WBA bantamweight world title.

Just days after Noel Mikaelian made now-former WBC cruiserweight world champion Badou Jack feel old in their rematch, this determined 43-year-old counterpart fell narrowly short in seeking to become the sport's third-oldest ever world champion.

Questions over Donaire's foot speed and durability were immediately questioned during the main event of a U-Next title fight tripleheader in Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan, against a sharp and twitchy Tsutsumi (13-0-3, 8 KOs) eager to point-score and establish early dominance.

As the battle of jabs intensified, Tsutsumi found himself gasping for air and in recovery mode in the corner at the end of a frantic fourth. He absorbed a counter right hand as he threw one of his own, then ate a big right uppercut and left hook which badly rocked him.

Donaire could smell blood, but didn't have enough time remaining to finish the job as referee Luis Pabon didn't initiate a count, instead letting them continue to fight.

The crowd noise swelled in the fifth as Tsutsumi tried turning things back his way, Donaire's pressure easing as time wore on, something that would later haunt him down the stretch.

That's because the defending champion fared far better in rounds six through nine as he composed himself again, doing better flicking out his jab and wearing on the interim beltholder with two and three-punch combinations.

It was a closely-contested affair as expected, Donaire agonisingly close to ending it early, though you don't get points for admirable stories in boxing and Leszek Jankowiak's wide 117-111 scorecard rather typified that sentiment.

Pinit Prayadsab's 115-113 Tsutsumi score felt fairer on the reflection of a back-and-forth duel, seeing the 29-year-old end his 2025 in the win column after a gruelling draw and injuries sustained against Daigo Higa in February.

Road warrior Santiago stuns again

In the card's chief support bout, Rene Santiago reeled off another upset win to unify the WBA and WBO junior flyweight world titles against previously-unbeaten Kyosuke Takami via split decision.

Scores of 115-113 and 117-111 in the Puerto Rican's favour saw him snatch Takami's perfect 10-0 record, as well as the WBA title after a back-and-forth battle where both looked to counter the other's success.

"He's a brave strong boxer, a very good fighter but I'm sure I have the style to beat him," the 34-year-old told The Ring in the build-up and that's exactly what transpired.

The Ring's No. 3-rated junior flyweight contender (15-4, 9 KOs) was tagged often in the latter stages of rounds, but didn't let those optics deter him, giving as good as he got against Takami, regularly baiting him into exchanging leather at close-range.

Takami (10-1, 8 KOs) only had himself to blame, getting overzealous during sequences where he'd hurt the visitor and unable to adjust against his tricky movement.

Winging wildly and cranking up the pressure, rather than remaining measured, played into Santiago's hands in the latter stages as he conserved his energy to close out a competitive but nonetheless deserved away result once more.

Olascuaga owns another fast defence

WBO flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga made the fourth defence of his world title, and second in three months, another quick night's work to blitz Taku Kuwahara (14-3, 9 KOs) in four rounds.

The Ring's No. 6-rated 112-pound operator Olascuaga (11-1, 8 KOs) started fast with flurries, while the combination punching and pressure proved too much for the 30-year-old to handle as he pinned him in the corner with very little resistance coming back before referee Robert Hoyle waved it off.

The Los Angeles native was delighted to end the year with a fifth stoppage in his last six appearances and thanked the fans for making him feel welcome, in what's fast becoming his second home.

"I'm so excited to have performed so well against a great fighter like Taku, who has great speed, I really appreciate it, whether you were here to support me or him, it means a lot," the 26-year-old said when addressing the Kokugikan crowd post-fight.

Earlier in the evening, Kuwahara's agemate and 2024 foe Seigo Yuri Akui (22-3-1, 12 KOs) returned with a third-round knockout win over 10-1 pro Vencent Lacar in his first outing since March, where he suffered a heartbreaking stoppage loss in the final frame by Kenshiro Teraji of their WBA/WBC title unification.

Results

Seiya Tsutsumi vs. Nonito Donaire by split decision (112-116, 115-113, 117-111)
Rene Santiago def. Kyosuke Takami by split decision (113-115, 116-112, 117-111)
Anthony Olascuaga def. Taku Kuwahara by TKO (R4)
Seigo Yuri Akui def. Vencent Lacar by KO (R3)
Tsuyoshi Nishimoto vs. Yu Ezaki – majority draw (36-38, 37-37, 37-37)

Olascuaga looking the goods again, destroying Kuwahara in 4, walked him down from the off, pressured, cut the ring off well, stabbed the jab out, hooks to the body, not much coming back from Kuwahara who was more occupied with defense, round 4 Olascuaga rocked him with an uppercut which had Kuwahara defenceless in the corner as Olascuaga rained down shots mainly to the body before it was stopped

Santiago/Takami looked a competitive fight, hard to split them, Takami looked to control ring centre and Santiago was happy to box and move, plenty scoring punches landed from both men but no damaging shots, another good win for Santiago and now unified champ at light fly

Finally caught up with Tsutsumi/Donaire, good competitive fight and Donaire showing at 43 he's still a world class bantamweight, without scoring it looked as if Tsutsumi pulled it out in the last few rounds, he was the one controlling ring centre but Donaire wasn't running, he held his own, Tsutsumi used his jab well, it was his best asset, Donaire tried to get that left hook off but his right hand was effective, he rocked Tsutsumi at the end of the 4th, it was nip/tick kinda fight but it did seem Tsutsumi finished the stronger and in control