Donaire scores KO win for WBSS finals

Filipino Nonito Donaire Jr. decks Stephon Young with a left hook in the sixth round of their World Boxing Super Series semifinal. Donaire retained his WBA (Super) bantamweight belt and advanced to the WBSS final. Photo from World Boxing Super Series Twitter account

Four-division champion Nonito Donaire Jr. scored a sixth-round knockout win over Stephon Young on Sunday to retain the WBA bantamweight title and barge into the finals of the World Boxing Super Series at Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The 36-year-old Donaire caught Young with a vicious left hook that ended the bout in the sixth round, giving the Filipino the spectacular knockout victory fans haven’t seen from him in many years.

“It was tough coming up with a game plan against Stephon, but I saw him throwing the straight, so I kept timing my hook,” Donaire told philboxing.com.

Donaire will face either Naoya Inoue or Emmanuel Rodriguez, who will fight in the other WBSS bantam semis on May 18.

The champion in the WBSS will take home the Muhammad Ali Trophy and a reported $10,000 cash prize. —MARC ANTHONY REYES