FILIPINO legend Nonito Donaire Jr. fell short and lost to World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight champion Seiya Tsutsumi by split decision in a very close contest at the Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
One judge scored it 116-112 for Donaire Jr., while the two other judges favored Tsutsumi with scores of 115-113 and 117-111.
At 43 years old, Donaire Jr. proved that he can still compete with the best in the division after giving the defending champion Tsutsumi, 14 years younger than him, a run for his money.
Donaire Jr. was the interim WBA bantamweight champion coming into this fight after winning the belt with a ninth round technical decision win over Andres Campos six months ago.
Donaire Jr. holds the record of being the oldest bantamweight world champion at 38 years old.
Donaire Jr. dropped to 43-9 with 28 knockouts, while Tsutsumi remained unbeaten at 13-0-3 with eight knockouts. (EKA)
AloJapan.com