Five stitches for Donaire’s cutMANILA, Philippines — A cut caused by an accidental headbutt left Nonito Donaire Jr. unable to see clearly from his right eye and it took five stitches to sew up after he lost to Japan’s Riku Masuda on a technical knockout in the eighth round of a WBA bantamweight title eliminator in Yokohama last Sunday. He beat the 10-count but cornerman Gabriel Flores Sr., who runs the Los Gallos Boxing Academy in Stockton, California, seemed ready to throw in the towel as the bell rang. A four-punch combination rocked Donaire in the middle of the ring and Flores Sr. had seen enough. Kovacs took Flores Sr.’s cue to wave it off at 1:12 of the eighth. It was Donaire’s fourth loss in his last five fights and he remains winless in four outings, including two against Naoya Inoue, in Japan.

Source: Philippine Star March 16, 2026 16:48 UTC