Filipino boxers

Unbeaten Dato joins Magsayo in Pacquiao-Spence undercard

Roy Luarca

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Unbeaten Dato joins Magsayo in Pacquiao-Spence undercard

RETURN. John Dato will fight for the first time in 2021 in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Errol Spence bout.

Wendell Alinea/MP Promotions

John Dato, who holds a 16-win, 1 draw record, is regarded as a potential world champion in the lightweight division

Unbeaten John Dato gets another chance to shine on the international stage with his inclusion in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s pay-per-view bout with Errol Spence on August 22 (Manila time) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The 28-year-old Dato, born in Bangar, La Union but raised in Santa Maria, California, holds a 16-win, 1-draw record and is regarded as a potential world champion in the lightweight division.

Dato also fought underneath Pacquiao’s title fight with then-unbeaten Keith Thurman in June 2019, when he knocked out Juan Antonio Lopez in the fifth round.

His ring career stalled early in the coronavirus pandemic, but Dato returned to action and earned knockout victories over Angel Guevarra in August 2020 and Jorge Alberto Romero in November 2020 in Baja, Mexico.

Dato, who will be joining prime prospect Mark Magsayo (22-0, 15 knockouts) in the Pacquiao-Spence undercard, started to box only at 17 but quickly made progress owing to his being a former trackster and football player at Pioneer Valley High School.

Now, Dato runs a boxing gym and is a personal fitness trainer in Santa Maria.

After a technical draw with Pedro Rodriguez in 2018, Dato has swept his last 11 fights, six by knockouts, as he tries to trace the success of his idol Pacquiao.

If he wins in style in August, Dato can look forward to a bigger fight before the year ends. – Rappler.com

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