Inoue to have a mandatory defense in his next fight

In March or April IBF and WBA World Bantamweight Champion Naoya Inoue (20-0, 17 KOs) will have his next fight in Japan. The IBF has announced that the next opponent will be Michael Dasmarinas (30-2-1, 20 KOs), who is the official contender for the International Boxing Federation title.

A year ago, Inoue signed a promotional deal with Top Rank, which stipulates that the 27-year-old boxer will have part of his fights in the United States. Inoue made his US debut in October, beating Jason Moloney.

The last time Dasmarinas fought was October 2019. The Filipino won the IBF Eliminator six months ago by defeating Kenny Demecillo on points.