Dasmariñas battles Inoue for WBA, IBF bantamweight titles


Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue will put his super WBA and IBF bantamweight titles on the line against Filipino challenger Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgins Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, June 20 (Manila time).

Super WBA and IBF bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue weighs in at 118 lbs while Filipino challenger Michael Dasmariñas came in at 117.4 lbs during the official weigh-in Friday at the Virgins Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo from Naoya Inoue's Twitter account)

Inoue, who will defend both belts for the second time, weighed in at 118 lbs while Dasmariñas came in at 117.4 lbs during the official weigh-in Saturday.

READ: Arum on Inoue-Dasmariñas: Fists will be flying

The Japanese "Monster" remains unbeaten in 20 matches on top of 17 knockouts while the Filipino pug owns a 30-2-1 record with 20 KOs.

READ: Inoue's motivation? To face Casimero and Donaire soon

Inoue, 28, earlier said he's planning to capture all the four major world bantamweight titles -- which includes the WBC and the WBO -- to prove that he's the best boxer in the division.

Currently, Nonito Donaire is the WBC bantamweight king and John Riel Casimero holds the WBO belt.

READ: Michael Dasmariñas out to prove worth vs 'Monster' Inoue

Inoue, who will be slugging out for the third time on US soil and the second straight in Sin City, vowed to answer to people's expectations come Saturday night in Las Vegas by taking on another Filipino in Dasmariñas.

The 28-year-old Dasmariñas, for his part, wants to make his US debut fight a memorable one by giving the Japanese champion a good match.

The Pili, Camarines Sur native is also considering his Las Vegas bout the biggest challenge of his career so far since turning professional in 2012.

Nicknamed "Hot 'n Spicy," Dasmariñas earned the rights to fight Inoue by defeating compatriot Kenny Demecillo in March 2019.

Inoue last saw action in October last year with a knockout win over Australian foe Jason Moloney while Dasmariñas stunned Thai opponent Artid Bamrungauea in October 2019.