‘The Monster’ Naoya Inoue will make his first appearance of 2021 with a mandatory engagement against IBF No.1 contender Michael Dasmarinas in Las Vegas on June 19.
Rangy southpaw Dasmarinas, a former IBO champion at 118lbs, has good pedigree, having previously KOed former European champion Karim Guerfi in four in April 2018.
But the Filipino has been out of action since October 2019. He is, however, gunning for the upset against the WBA Super and IBF bantamweight champion from Japan.
“To beat Inoue, I have to make sure I am at least a level above him and fight with speed, power and precision,” Dasmarinas (30-2-1, 20 KOs) told Bad Left Hook. “I am going out there to give him a good fight and win, and I am putting in the necessary work to get that result!”
Inoue (20-0, 17 KOs) was last seen KOing Jason Moloney in seven rounds in Las Vegas last Halloween.
Main image: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.
