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Dasmariñas seeks huge upset over Inoue in Las Vegas fight

Roy Luarca

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Dasmariñas seeks huge upset over Inoue in Las Vegas fight

TARGET. Michael Dasmariñas (right) aims to wrest the WBA and IBF bantamweight titles from Naoya Inoue.

Naoki Fukuda/Hardstone Monis Promotions

Michael Dasmariñas, the Filipino mandatory challenger to unbeaten Japanese Naoya Inoue, says he's raring to show the world ‘he isn't an easy fight’

Michael Dasmariñas regards his title fight against Naoya Inoue as a matter of life and death.

The Filipino mandatory challenger said he’s going to battle the Japanese “Monster” until his last breath on Saturday, June 19 (Sunday, June 20, Philippine time) at The Theater of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Nevada.

Patay kung patay (kill or be killed),” Dasmariñas told his manager, Art Monis, after the official weigh-in of his World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation bantamweight title duels with Inoue on Friday.

A massive underdog with bettors giving him only a 3% chance of upstaging the unbeaten Inoue, Dasmariñas said he’s raring to show the world “he isn’t an easy fight.”

“I’m giving it my best shot for this is a rare opportunity,” Dasmariñas, who totes a 30-win, 2-loss, 1 draw slate with 20 knockouts, said in Filipino. “I need to win and what we have done in training and sparring will come into play.”

Inoue (20-0 with 17 knockouts) tipped the scales at an exact 118 pounds while Dasmariñas checked in lighter at 117.4 despite being 2 inches taller than the Japanese.

Confined at his hotel room, eating, sleeping, and resting after the weigh-in, Dasmariñas, pride of Bangar, La Union, intends to enter the ring at around 130 pounds.

Aware that Inoue is aiming for a knockout, Dasmariñas and chief trainer Tacy Macalos have plotted several strategies depending on what the Japanese would do in the early rounds.

If Dasmariñas finds out he could match Inoue’s power, he won’t hesitate to trade punches.

And if he manages to sneak in a wicked left and hurt Inoue, Dasmariñas would go for the kill. – Rappler.com

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