Naoya Inoue, one of boxing’s most explosive breakout stars, has booked his next fight.
Top Rank announced Wednesday that WBA and IBF bantamweight champion Inoue and No. 1 contender Michael Dasmarinas have agreed to terms for a 118-pound title fight that will be streamed worldwide on ESPN.
The fight is slated for June 19 at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas.
Undefeated Japanese knockout artist Inoue (20-0, 17 KO’s), 28, hasn’t been in the ring since he stopped Jason Moloney via seventh-round KO in October 2020.
Prior to that, he beat former eight-division world champion Nonito Donaire by unanimous decision in their November 2019 bout at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The fight was later voted ‘The Fight of the Year’ by The Ring magazine.
Mandatory challenger Dasmarinas (30-2-1, 20 KO’s) may not be the first name on everybody’s lips, but ‘Hot and Spicy’ has the chance of a lifetime to upset the odds against the fearsome ‘Monster.’
The top-ranked Filipino southpaw started boxing when he was around nine years old, after watching his older brother make his debut as an amateur fighter.
Inoue is currently ranked as the No. 1 in the world at bantamweight by BoxRec coming in and can further solidify his spot as a top pound-for-pound fighter should he win inside the distance.
Without question, Inoue is one of the most devastating boxers on the planet. Despite his promoter Bob Arum often throwing him in at the deep end in an attempt to push him further up the rankings, Inoue has passed every test with flying colours.
But just how high is the ceiling? Only Inoue, with his incredible firepower, can truly know the answer to that question.
–givemesport.com
