It’s back to familiar territory for WBA interim bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, Jr. as he arrived in Cebu last Sunday to open training camp for his 12-round duel with WBA titleholder “in recess” Seiya Tsutsumi in Tokyo on Dec. 17. If Donaire wins, he’ll become the third oldest to win a world crown after Bernard Hopkins at 49 and George Foreman at 45. Donaire will be 43 when he takes on Tsutsumi.
Tsutsumi won the WBA belt in October last year and barely retained it on a draw with Daigo Higa, surviving a knockdown, last February. Antonio Vargas took the WBA interim belt on a TKO over Winston Guerrero last December and would’ve challenged Tsutsumi but the Japanese backed out to recover from the Higa bout. Vargas was then elevated to the throne while Tsutsumi was named champion “in recess.” That cleared the way for Donaire to win the interim title on a technical decision over Andres Campos in Buenos Aires last June.
To clear up the mess, WBA ordered Vargas to face Tsutsumi but the 2016 Olympian from Houston withdrew to grieve over his mother’s death. It opened the door for Donaire and Tsutsumi to face off for the title “in recess” with the winner to engage Vargas.
Tsutsumi, 29, has a 12-0-3 record, with eight KOs and in 2023, decisioned Kazuki Anaguchi who died of a brain clot six weeks later. The only Filipino he has fought was Jhong Jhong Ponteras whom he stopped in one round in 2022. Donaire, who is based in Las Vegas, has the advantage in experience with a 43-8 slate, including 28 KOs, and nine world titles in four divisions. He's the only fighter who dared to battle Naoya Inoue twice. It will be his third appearance in Japan. Donaire has previously trained in Cebu from where he will travel to Tokyo.
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