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Philippines, 16 Feb 2026 |
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Donaire ready for Tsutsumi By Joaquin Henson PhilBoxing.com Tue, 16 Dec 2025  The WBA has returned champion-in-recess Seiya Tsutsumi back on the throne to clear the way for the Japanese to defend the bantamweight crown against interim titleholder Nonito Donaire, Jr. in a scheduled 12-rounder at the Kokugikan Arena, Tokyo, tomorrow night. Tsutsumi was declared in-recess to recover from his previous fight where he survived a knockdown to retain his crown on a draw with Daigo Higa in October last year. Antonio Vargas, who won the interim belt two months later, was named champion and Donaire took the interim title on a technical decision over Andres Campos in Buenos Aires last June. Vargas, now champion in-recess, will take on the winner of the Tsutsumi-Donaire duel to settle the bantamweight confusion once and for all. Two-time world champion Gerry Penalosa said a win by Donaire over Tsutsumi will be a big boost for Philippine boxing. “I think Donaire’s experience and talent will make the difference,” said Penalosa. “He’s smart and he’s got that deadly left hook. If he’s in condition and in good shape, he’ll beat Tsutsumi who can be quite reckless in the ring. But Tsutsumi is tough and he’s younger.” Donaire, 43, is used to battling younger opponents so Tsutsumi, 29, is no different. He hasn’t won in two fights in Japan against Naoya Inoue and winning the WBA title over Tsutsumi will be a fitting Christmas gift to his legion of Japanese fans. Donaire left his Las Vegas home and arrived in Cebu early last month to resume training with Doc J Junco at the Omega Gym. He flew in with wife Rachel and their two sons Jarel and Logan. The family landed in Tokyo last week. Donaire has won world titles in five divisions from flyweight to featherweight and despite his long years of activity, remains as hungry as ever to cement his legacy as a future Hall of Famer. His record is 43-8 with 28 KOs compared to Tsutsumi’s 12-0-3, with eight KOs so the disparity in experience is glaring. Donaire enjoys a four-inch advantage in reach and a 1 1/2 inch edge in height, both of which he’ll exploit to dictate the pace of the bout. Against Tsutsumi who’s a known volume puncher, Donaire is expected to strike in and out, maintaining distance to throw the Japanese off-balance. Vargas isn’t on Donaire’s mind at the moment. His focus is to snatch the strap from Tsutsumi and erase the zero in the Japanese champion’s unblemished record. It won’t be an easy task but Donaire is ready to do whatever it takes to become a world champion again. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.  |
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