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 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 fight progressed. Masuda’s speed and volume became more noticeable toward the middle rounds, especially 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 in close, throwing combinations and forcing exchanges.
Masuda’s pressure increased in the sixth. After the doctors briefly examined Donaire, the Japanese contender found his rhythm, repeatedly landing and rocking the veteran briefly 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 tired and dealing with the worsening cut. A point deduction early in the round added to his problems, and Masuda quickly resumed his attack. After absorbing more clean shots 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 quicker combinations and consistent offense before the referee stopped the bout 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 by technical decision in the eighth round after a cut caused by a head clash aggravated.
Iwata controlled the fight through seven rounds before the 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) put on 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 an impressive first defense of his title six months after their first meeting ended in a draw.
“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 put on a dominant performance tonight, and I believe I did.”
Opening match
In the opening bout of the card, featherweight prospect Natsuki Kuramochi fought to a four-round contest with Hayato Aiko, with judges scoring the bout 37-39, 39-37 and 38-38.
