Seiya Tsutsumi Defeats 43-Year-Old Nonito Donaire – Video Highlights
Tokyo, Japan (December 19th, 2025)– Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (43-9, 28 Kos) is a Filipino-American professional boxer who has held multiple world championships in four weight classes during his illustrious career. Amazingly, at 43 years old, he lost a WBA bantamweight title fight to Seiya Tsutsumi (13-0-3, 8 Kos) via split decision on December 17, 2025.
Unbeaten Japanese boxer Seiya Tsutsumi weighing 117.75 pounds, narrowly retained his WBA bantamweight title with a split decision victory over veteran Filipino and WBA interim champion Nonito Donaire (43-9, 28 KOs), also weighed in at 117.75 pounds.
The bout took place over twelve rounds on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan. The judges scored the fight as follows: Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand) 115-113 and Leszek Jankowiak (Poland) 117-111 for Tsutsumi, and Robert Hoyle (US) 116-112 for Donaire.
Former five-division champion Donaire, fourteen years older at 43, began the fight with sharp jabs and left hooks, taking an early lead against the cautious Tsutsumi. Donaire won the first three rounds and stunned Tsutsumi with powerful right hands in the fourth, nearly knocking him down before the bell. Despite the damage, Donaire did not attempt to finish the fight early.
It was Seiya, who showed his amazing resilience from round 6 to the end of the fight, while Nonito fought rather cautiously, probably because he intended to save his fading stamina for later rounds. Tsutsumi fought back hard from then on, scoring some important points down the stretch.
His nose bone having been broken early in the fight, Tsutsumi who had dethroned Takuma Inoue fourteen months ago said after the grueling battle, “I was losing in earlier rounds, but I encouraged myself so that I would regain the initiative and go to win this bout. I wish to fight current WBC champ Takuma Inoue in a rematch, and also hope to exchange gloves with the legendary Kazuto Ioka who has moved up to the bantamweight division.”
The loser Donaire proudly said, “I congratulate Tsutsumi for this victory though it was such a close fight. I displayed everything I had.” But his chief trainer and wife Rachel were not happy with the judge’s too wide of margin (117-111) against Nonito. “His jabs were effective throughout the fight, but he ignored the effect of Nonito’s solid left hand.”
Promoter: Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions.
Attendance: 7,500 at Ryogoku Sumo Arena (Kokugikan)
Full Card Results:
WBA World Bantamweight Title: Seiya Tsutsumi defeated Nonito Donaire via split decision (115-113, 117-111, 112-116) to retain his title.
WBO Flyweight Title: Anthony Olascuaga defeated Taku Kuwahara via TKO at 2:37 of the fourth round to retain his belt.
WBA/WBO Light Flyweight Unification Bout: Kyosuke Takami defeated Rene Santiago.
Super Flyweight Bout: Seigo Yuri Akui defeated Vincent Lacar via KO at 0:54 of the third round.
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