Masuda (9-1, 8 KOs) had to work hard before taking control and forcing Donaire’s corner to stop the fight after being punished. The win put the 28-year-old Japanese champion on the WBA bantamweight title.
Donaire (43-10, 28 KOs), a four-division world champion and future Hall of Famer, got off to a good start despite the 15-year age difference. He controlled the length of the early rounds behind a sharp jab and cleaned up one-two combinations while Masuda showed caution, often fighting on his back near the ropes.
The little fighter started to open up as the fight went on. Masuda’s speed and volume stood out in the middle rounds, especially late in the fourth when he landed a clean right combination that drew the crowd.
The momentum shifted dramatically in the fifth. An accidental clash of heads left Donaire with a deep gash above his right eye, and Masuda quickly pressed the action closer, throwing combinations and forcing exchanges.
Masuda’s pressure intensified for the sixth time. After the ringside medics briefly checked on Donaire’s cut, the Japanese fighter found his rhythm, repeatedly going down and rocking the veteran before Donaire responded with counter counts.
The breakthrough came in the seventh round when Masuda dropped Donaire with a left hand at the end of a left combination in the closing seconds.
Donaire entered the eighth round looking tired and dealing with a nasty cut. A point draw at the start of the round added to his woes, and Masuda quickly began attacking again. After landing 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 fast and kept the pressure on throughout, overwhelming Iimura with quick combinations and consistent offense before the referee stopped the contest in the ninth.
Iwata also won the world title
Former champion Shokichi Iwata (14-1, 11 KOs) regained his world title when his fight with Thammanoon Niyomtrong (25-2, 9 KOs) ended in an eighth-round technical decision after a cut caused by a head clash worsened.
Iwata was in control of the fight for seven rounds before the ring doctor stopped the match. The scorecards read 79-73, 79-73, and 78-74 in his favor, making him a two-time world champion.
Matsumoto dominates Takada in a rematch
WBA strawweight champion Ryusei Matsumoto (8-0, 4 KOs) squared off against Yuni Takada (16-10-3, 6 KOs), winning all rounds on all three cards.
The judges returned the same score of 120-108, allowing Matsumoto to defend his title for the first time in six months after their first meeting ended in a stalemate.
“Compared to the last fight, I could clearly see the changes Takada made,” Matsumoto said through a translator. “He showed a lot of heart. I wanted to show the best game today, and I believe I did.”
To open the boot
In the first bout of the card, featherweight Natsuki Kuramochi fought to a four-round draw with Hayato Aiko, with the judges scoring the fight 37-39, 39-37, and 38-38.
