"The undefeated puncher is going to return on December 14 in Japan, when he faces Thailand's Aran Dipaen (12-2, 11 KOs).
Several boxing events were recently canceled in Japan, because the country increased their travel restrictions in response to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
But Inoue was lucky, because his opponent was already in the country when the restrictions were implemented.
Inoue will be looking to put on another impressive performance in the contest.
βEach and every fan is going to have expectations. And I want to defy and go beyond each and every one of their expectations,β Inoue, 28-years-old, told The Associated Press.
Inoue would like to fight WBO champion John Riel Casimero (31-4, 21 KOs) in 2022. They were set to collide last year, but their fight was canceled when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing.
Casimero returns on December 11, when he makes a mandatory defense against Paul Butler. On the same day, WBC champion Nonito Donaire (41-6, 27 KOs) will defend his title against mandatory challenger Reymart Gaballo.
Inoue would like to retire from the sport when he turns 35. For now he wants to unify some more belts and make a move to super bantamweight in 2023."
Two very contrasting fighters. Johnny Tapia with the fan friendly style, great mix of speed and aggression. Then you have Inoue who's a very sharp puncher and is a KO artist himself.
Who wins this fantasy matchup? Tapia in his prime vs the Inoue that fought Donaire.
I was arguing with someone and they said Murata is way more popular than Inoue, and that he is essentially the LeBron James of Japan. Is this true? I wouldn't have thought so because on social media, Inoue's numbers far exceeds Murata's by a very significant margin
A p4p fighter, with very limited elite wins, who do you think he should be chasing and what is his weight limit?
Does waiting around at Bantamweight have any benefits in the long run, are there any future contenders that press doubt of an Inoue victory?
Date: Saturday, June 19, 2021
Time: 7:00 PM PT, 10:00 PM ET, 2:00 AM GMT
Location: Virgin Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: ESPN (US)
Stream: ESPN+
Naoya Inoue vs Michael Dasmarinas
12 rounds
WBA super world bantamweight title
IBF world bantamweight title
| Inoue | vs | Dasmarinas |
|---|---|---|
| 20-0 (17 KOs) | vs | 30-2-1 (20 KOs) |
| 28 | age | 28 |
| 5'5" | height | 5'7" |
| 118 | weight | 117.3 |
| 67.5 | reach | ? |
| orthodox | stance | southpaw |
| 5-0 (4 KOs) | last 5 | 4-0-1 (3 KOs) |
Undercard
- Mikaela Mayer (14-0, 5 KOs) vs Erica Farias (26-4, 10 KOs) - 10 rounds, WBO world super featherweight title
- Adam Lopez (15-2, 6 KOs) vs Isaac Dogboe (21-2, 15 KOs) - 10 rounds, featherweight division
Any good bet ideas you guys have? ML is basically not worth it. I was thinking maybe Over 2.5 rounds for -115 but it will be close.
Guys, that matchup reminds me of Ippo vs Sendo tbh. Both have KO power just like Ippo and Sendo. Sendo has a very similar fighting style to Casimero which is relies in a slugfest fight and likes to brawl mainly using Hooks and Uppercuts and maybe same personality. Inoue somehow reminds me of Ippo as he is humble and has dynamite in both hands and kinda similar style too I mean look at the liver punch and he is more technical. If we get this fight, its the closest to real life Ippo vs Sendo.
He's 28 and he hasn't had a single 5 star fight (according to Boxrec's rating system). An over-the-hill Donaire is perhaps his best win and he struggled more than most expected in that one. I just don't understand why this guy isn't fighting anybody? His next fight is hopeless can too.
What's the heaviest weight he can win a title? Jr. Featherweight? Featherweight or Maybe Junior lightweight. Stephen Fulton vs Inoue would be amazing! what matchup are you eager to see in the future with Inoue?
Naoya Inoue, much like Canelo, appears to be projecting an aura of unbeatability within his division despite his relative inactivity, and strong potential opposition in the form of Rigondeaux, Casimero and Donaire. His accuracy is ridiculous, he has potentially the best jab of any active boxer not named Golovkin and, of course, is probably the hardest puncher, p4p, on the planet. How do people think he'd faee against historical Bantamweights, like Olivares, Jofre, Harada, Wilfred's Gomez and, more recently, a prime Guillermo Rigondeaux?
It released yesterday on YouTube, but even if you have already seen it, maybe it's best to have your tv sets on if you're a fan of Inoue. Maybe good viewership numbers will get them to start promoting him better. Because during the last few fights on ESPN, Tyson Fury, Lomachenko, and even Mikaela Mayer have gotten more screentime and on air mentions than Inoue has.
Show ESPN that they have something here that they need to try and make him get more mainstream attention.
