Donaire (43-10, 28 KOs), a four-division world champion and future Hall of Famer, began well despite the 15-year age difference. He controlled stretches of the early rounds behind a sharp jab and clean one-two combinations while Masuda showed caution, often fighting with his back near the ropes.
The younger fighter began to open up as the bout progressed. Masuda’s speed and volume became more noticeable by the middle rounds, particularly late in the fourth when he landed a clean right-left combination that drew a reaction from the crowd.
Momentum shifted decisively in the fifth. An accidental clash of heads left Donaire with a deep cut over his right eye, and Masuda immediately pressed the action at close range, throwing combinations and forcing exchanges.
Masuda’s pressure intensified in the sixth. After ringside doctors briefly examined Donaire’s cut, the Japanese contender found his rhythm, landing repeatedly and briefly rocking the veteran before Donaire fired back with defiant counters.
The breakthrough came in the seventh round when Masuda dropped Donaire with a left hand at the end of a right-left combination in the closing seconds.
Donaire entered the eighth visibly fatigued and dealing with the worsening cut. A point deduction early in the round added to his troubles, and Masuda quickly resumed his attack. After absorbing more clean punches and showing little movement, Donaire’s corner threw in the towel midway through the round.
Olascuaga defends WBO title
Earlier on the card, WBO flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga (12-1, 9 KOs) defended his title with a ninth-round stoppage of Jukiya Iimura (9-2, 2 KOs).
Olascuaga started quickly and maintained the pressure throughout, overwhelming Iimura with faster combinations and consistent offense before the referee halted the contest in the ninth.
Iwata regains world title
Former champion Shokichi Iwata (14-1, 11 KOs) regained a world title when his bout with Thammanoon Niyomtrong (25-2, 9 KOs) ended via eighth-round technical decision after a cut caused by a head clash worsened.
Iwata had controlled the fight through seven rounds before the ringside doctor stopped the action. The scorecards read 79-73, 79-73, and 78-74 in his favor, making him a two-time world champion.
Matsumoto dominates Takada in rematch
WBA strawweight champion Ryusei Matsumoto (8-0, 4 KOs) delivered a one-sided performance in a rematch with Yuni Takada (16-10-3, 6 KOs), winning every round on all three scorecards.
The judges returned identical scores of 120-108, giving Matsumoto a commanding first defense of his title six months after their first meeting ended inconclusively.
“Compared to the last fight, I could clearly see the adjustments Takada made,” Matsumoto said through a translator. “He showed a lot of heart. I wanted to show a dominant performance tonight, and I believe I did.”
Opening bout
In the opening fight of the card, featherweight prospect Natsuki Kuramochi fought to a four-round split draw with Hayato Aiko, with judges scoring the bout 37-39, 39-37, and 38-38.
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