Nonito Donaire was apparently just winging it in his 2019 barnburner with Naoya Inoue.

Donaire, the four-division champion and current WBC bantamweight titleholder, is scheduled to face Inoue in a unification rematch June 7 in Saitama, Japan, Inoue’s homeland. Inoue holds the WBA and IBF bantamweight titles.

Although the 29-year-old Inoue won a clear decision in their first meeting, Donaire, 39, inflicted plenty of noticeable damage on the younger Japanese champion. Indeed, Inoue ended up with an eye socket fracture. Both fighters are among the biggest punchers in the lower weight classes.

While the Filipino veteran is confident that he can dish out the same level of punishment on Inoue in the second go-around, Donaire indicated in a recent interview that he plans to fight with more tact and finesse, qualities he believes will actually lead him to victory. Donaire also seemed to hint that he did prepare himself fully ahead of the first fight.  

“When I fought him the last time and came in there, I just brawled with him, to get him into a war,” Donaire told FightHype.com. “Now I’m coming to win the fight. That means I’m putting in game plans, I’m putting in the work ethic, I’m putting [in] a lot of boxing IQ.

“Back then I would just go out there and I didn’t really care to watch his fights. That fight woke me up. I can beat this guy…Now I’m here.”

Since his loss to Inoue, Donaire, who has seemingly had one foot out of the ring for the past several years, has lately been on the ascension. Last May, he wiped out then WBC bantamweight titlist Nordine Oubaali in 4 rounds. He picked up another win that December, a fourth-round stoppage of Reymart Gaballo. Those two explosive performances, the addition of a belt, and the fact that Donaire had given Inoue the toughest fight of his career, were presumably the elements that allowed a rematch to be sold to the public. The fight will stream on Amazon Prime in Japan; a US broadcaster has not been announced.

Given his familiarity with Inoue (22-0, 19 KOs), Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) is confident he can capitalize on the dynamo’s mistakes.

“When I came into that fight the last time – again I give him the biggest respect, I think he’s an incredible, incredible fighter,” Donaire said “But in doing so there’s always a flaw. In every fighter there’s a flaw and if you find that flaw it’s when you can create victory on that type of game plan. Looking into it, the way I am so composed in [boxing] now, and the way I trust my body to go in there and do its thing I think that will definitely help me win this fight.”

Donaire, a Filipino native who resides in Las Vegas, credits his youthful frame of mind as another potential difference maker.  

“Back then I was playing along with what people were saying I was,” Donaire said. “Now I’m playing along to what I say I am. That’s the biggest difference.

"I’m gonna go in there and say, 'You know what, I’m gonna be younger than him, I’m gonna be faster than him, I’m gonna be better than him, I’m gonna be stronger than him.' That’s just what I’m gonna believe in. That’s how I’m gonna go in there with that faith.”