World Boxing Association ‘’super’’ and International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Naoya ‘’The Monster’’ Inoue of Ohashi Boxing Gym and World Boxing Council bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire of the Philippines held a joint press conference on June 3 at a hotel in Yokohama ahead of their title unification fight at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Prefecture on June 7.

It will be their second fight since they fought in November 2019 in the final of the World Boxing Super Series at the same arena, in which Inoue won with a unanimous decision.

The 29-year-old Inoue came to the stage by nodding his head toward the 39-year-old Donaire, who was seated beforehand, and said, ‘’I feel very excited because we will fight again for the first time in two years and seven months. I get motivated all the more by seeing the three championship belts ahead of me. The coming June 7 will be a special day not only for our fans but also for myself.’’

Asked about the positioning of the fight, Inoue replied, ‘’This will be an important fight for my aim of unifying the all the four bantamweight titles of the major sanctioning bodies. But this is only a stepping stone for my target. I want to unify the titles within this year if possible.’’

For his part, Donaire, seated next to Inoue, ‘’I am highly motivated. I think the upcoming fight will be the biggest fight in my career. Ever since our first fight, my motivation and concentration have been enhanced. While I lost in our first fight, I have been burning with spirit. True I lost the fight. But I felt I was not in best condition. That’s why I started training with this rematch as a target. I got more motivation than that in our first fight, and my confidence is also stronger.’’

Donaire said he is also itching to win all the four titles of the bantamweight division.
In the day’s press conference, Richard Schaefer of Switzerland, who is the president Probellum, a global boxing promotional company he launched in 2021, also attended the press conference. He currently serves as a promoter for Donaire and has a (management) contract with World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Paul Butler of England.

Inoue has a record of 22 straight wins, including 19 knockouts, while Donaire has a 42-6 win-loss tally with 28 KOs.