A strong second half surge by Seiya Tsutsumi was just enough to prevent Nonito Donaire from once again making boxing history.
Tsutsumi barely turned away the legendary former four-division champ to claim a split decision and retain his WBA 118lbs title. Scores were all over the place in their intense 12-round battle – Donaire won 116-112 on one card, overruled by tallies of 117-111 and 115-113 for Tsutsumi to escape with the win Wednesday at Tokyo’s famed Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena.
The outcome of the U-Next main event ended Donaire’s WBA interim title reign, and saw Tsutsumi lodge the first defense of his second tour as full WBA titleholder. It didn’t come easy.
“His left hook was [felt],” Tsutsumi told in-ring translator Mizuka Koike. “It was kind of fun [to come back in the second half]. I’ve become used to it.”
The fight was the first for Tsutsumi since his physically taxing unanimous draw with countryman and former flyweight titlist Daigo Higa in February. Enough damage was sustained to where he was briefly relieved of his WBA title reign before he was fully reinstated in November – just in time to raise the stakes for this contest.
It only heightened motivation for the 43-year-old Donaire, already the owner – twice over – of the record as the sport’s oldest ever bantamweight titlist. He sought to once again break his own record as he enjoyed a strong start. Tsutsumi offered plenty of bounce in his step but little in the way of a sustained offense. Donaire, meanwhile, was sharp with his jab and straight right hands throughout the first three rounds.
Tsutsumi was finally able to find his rhythm in the 4th round. A sudden burst of power shots found a home for the unbeaten titlist, who drove Donaire to the ropes.
The momentum shift didn’t last for long.
Donaire came on strong in the closing seconds of the round and nearly had his younger foe down and out. A right hand by the legendary Fil-Am figure literally knocked the spit out of Tsutsumi’s mouth and caused his legs to buckle. Further punishment was spared as the bell sounded, at which point Tsutsumi’s corner wisely braced their fighter and assisted him to the corner.
The body language of Tsutsumi raised cause for concern, while blood flowed from a cut along the bridge of his nose.
Still, there was plenty of fight in the reinstated titleholder, who enjoyed significant success in rounds five and six. Donaire was not at all without his success in either frame, continuing to make the local favorite work during every exchange.
Tsutsumi drew a rise out of his regional supporters whenever he landed his right hand. Donaire took the shots well, adjusted and responded with rights and left hooks of his own.
A terrific two-way exchange broke out in the final minute of the 7th round. Tsutsumi threatened to seize control with a series of straight rights and left hooks. Donaire came right back and pushed the action from the ropes to the center of the ring. Tsutsumi lunged forward in an effort to land a left hook, to which Donaire responded with a right hand over the top.
Tsutsumi sought to take the lead at the start of Round 8 but wildly missed with a right hand. He briefly switched to southpaw before reverting to orthodox just in time to connect upstairs. Donaire took the shot well, though swelling slowly emerged from his left eye. Donaire charged forward with one-twos, but was a bit too methodical and left himself open for a counter right.
The final minute of the round saw Donaire connect with a looping right hand to momentarily slow down Tsutsumi’s offensive attack. Tsutsumi roared back inside the final 30 seconds, as two right hands landed in between a left hook from Donaire that missed the mark.
Donaire peppered Tsutsumi with jabs during a stretch midway through the 10th round. As was the case just one frame prior, he had a brief lapse in judgment, just enough for Tsutsumi to surge ahead with power shots. Tsutsumi finished the round strong with left hooks around Donaire’s right hand, though Donaire found an opportunity to crash home a counter left hook of his own.
Tsutsumi took the lead in the 11th, while Donaire wisely fought at a distance as he sported a cut outside his right eye and worsening swelling around the left. The power on Tsutsumi’s shots was more telling by this stage of the fight, as his right hands down the middle and left hooks often stopped Donaire in his tracks. Those moments never came close to producing a stoppage or even a knockdown, but signaled the late surge enjoyed by the unbeaten fighter.
Donaire was far from done, as he opened the 12th and final round with a series of jabs and occasional rights. Tsutsumi slammed home an overhand right which briefly caused Donaire’s legs to dip as he managed to avoid touching his glove to the canvas.
A left hook by Tsutsumi landed inside the final minute of the contest. Donaire moved side-to-side to create an opening but Tsutsumi never allowed a momentum shift as he continued to pour on his attack. A final flurry by Donaire in the closing seconds drew a rise out of the crowd and a measure of respect from Tsutsumi as the two embraced with a heartfelt hug.
A moment of pride shifted to disappointment for Donaire, 43-9 (28 KOs) after the second and third scorecards were read in favor of Tsutsumi, 13-0-1 (8 KOs). The outcome ended his bid to become a four-time bantamweight champ, a division where he became the oldest ever title claimant in 2018 – just prior to his 36th birthday – and at 38 years, six months at the time of his stunning May 2021 knockout of unbeaten Nordine Oubaali.
Less than 24 hours after the sudden retirement of fellow all-time great Terence “Bud” Crawford, Donaire couldn’t quite find enough favor with the judges to immerse himself in that same G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) conversation.
He’s still led a Hall of Fame career, with championship wins at flyweight, bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight, along with 2012 Fighter of the Year honors. Wednesday’s effort was already significantly better than his previous trip to Japan – a second round knockout loss to Naoya Inoue in their June 2022 three-belt bantamweight title unification clash in Tokyo.
A subsequent loss to Alexandro Santiago in July 2023 signaled the potential end to Donaire’s career, though he spent all of 2024 in search of at least one more major opportunity. He eventually settled for a last-minute opportunity to fight for – and win – the WBA interim 118lbs belt in a technical unanimous decision over Andres Campos this past June in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Prior to Wednesday, that win alone provided Donaire with a more successful 2025 campaign than his most recent counterpart.
Tsutsumi hadn’t won since he first lifted the belt from Takuma Inoue in their thriller last October. The toll from his draw with Higa left him unable to honor an ordered mandatory against then-interim titlist Antonio Vargas, who was upgraded to full titleholder.
Vargas, in turn, also fought to a draw with Higa in his lone title defense in July. He was joined in the ring by Tsutsumi, who announced he was ready to return and enforce his “Champion in Recess” status in a bid to reclaim his old belt.
Tsutsumi’s reign was restored by default, after a personal family tragedy prevented Vargas from honoring his own ordered mandatory title defense.
Despite Tsutsumi’s plea for a unification bout and rematch with Inoue – now the WBC titleholder – or even a showdown with lineal and unified 115lbs champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – a fight with Vargas is back in play for the third time. A previous order from the WBA called for Wednesday’s winner to face Vargas within the next 120 days.
