Daily Tribune
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JHAY OTAMIAS MICHAEL Dasmariñas (left) sinks to the deck after taking a colossal left hook to the body from Naoya Inoue in their world title fight in Las Vegas in 2021.
What makes Naoya Inoue an explosive fighter?
Michael Dasmariñas, who fought and lost to the Japanese pound-for-pound star in 2021, knows the answer.
"Perfect execution," Dasmariñas told DAILY TRIBUNE from his homebase in Las Vegas yesterday.
The reason behind Inoue's destructive force is "great timing," Dasmariñas noted.
"When he throws punches, he twists his body and his knuckles land differently at impact."
Aside from Inoue's balance, he also boasts tremendous speed.
That's exactly what the Filipino fighter saw when he attempted to dethrone Inoue more than two years ago in Las Vegas.
A well-timed left hook to the ribcage proved fatal for Dasmariñas, who crumpled to the canvas after taking one.
Pressed about the possible outcome of the 26 December four-belt showdown between Inoue and Marlon Tapales, Dasmariñas could not pick one since he had also seen in the flesh how Tapales conducted his business during numerous sparring sessions.
"One thing is sure," he said.
"Someone's going to get knocked out."
