Riku Masuda halts Nonito Donaire in WBA eliminator

Riku Masuda delivered the biggest win of his young career Sunday, stopping former four-division world champion Nonito Donaire in the eighth round of their WBA bantamweight title eliminator in Japan.

Masuda (9-1, 8 KOs), fighting at home on the U-Next championship card, gradually wore down the 43-year-old veteran before Donaire’s corner threw in the towel midway through the eighth round.

The 28-year-old challenger began cautiously, allowing Donaire to find success early with his jab and short combinations. Masuda spent portions of the opening rounds backed toward the ropes while the experienced Filipino controlled the center of the ring.

Momentum shifted in the middle rounds. An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on Donaire’s face, and Masuda began pressing forward with more confidence, exchanging punches at close range and increasing his output.

The turning point came late in the seventh round when Masuda dropped Donaire with a left hand at the end of a right-left combination. Donaire rose but appeared badly hurt as the fight moved into the eighth.

After absorbing additional punishment early in the round, Donaire’s corner stepped in and halted the bout.

Donaire (43-10, 28 KOs) enjoyed a long championship run that included world titles in four weight classes, though the defeat continued a difficult stretch late in his career. Losing this fight is a tough pill for Nonito to swallow. It leaves his record at 3-5 in his last eight fights since 2019, and it’s a strong signal that he’s not capable of hanging with top-level fighters.

The win places Masuda in position for a future WBA bantamweight title opportunity.

Elsewhere on the card, WBO flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga (12-1, 9 KOs) stopped Jukiya Iimura in the ninth round of another successful title defense.

Shokichi Iwata reclaimed championship gold with an eighth-round technical decision over Thammanoon Niyomtrong after a worsening cut from an earlier head clash forced the fight to be stopped.

Ryusei Matsumoto also retained his WBA strawweight title with a one-sided decision victory over Yuni Takada, winning all twelve rounds on the judges’ scorecards.