Knockout ups the boxing stakes
Riku Masuda stopped Nonito Donaire by 8th-round RTKO in a WBA bantamweight eliminator this weekend — a career-defining win that shifts the division’s pecking order []. Masuda’s finish immediately boosts his rankings and title-path credibility in the bantamweight mix [].
The card was staged March 15, 2026, at Yokohama Buntai as the U‑Next Boxing 5 main attraction promoted by Teiken Promotions. boxingscene.com Masuda’s professional ledger now reads 10-1 with nine KOs, according to his BoxRec profile. boxrec.com The bout carried WBA final‑eliminator status to name the mandatory challenger for the WBA full bantamweight title. fightnews.com WBA full champion Seiya Tsutsumi retained the 118‑lb crown in December 2025 and is the fighter Masuda would be next in line to face as mandatory. ringmagazine.com Nonito Donaire, 43, suffered heavy swelling and a cut in the fight and had his corner stop the action in the eighth, per multiple post‑fight reports. philstar.com Masuda enters the immediate title mix after the eliminator; he was listed among top WBA contenders going into the weekend and Teiken is positioned to press for a mandatory order toward a Tsutsumi showdown. box-rank.com
