ONE-TIME world title challenger Michael Dasmariñas is primed to make a return to the US fighting scene after four years away from competing stateside.
Dasmariñas is set to take on world-ranked Elijah Pierce in an eight-rounder on July 25, 2025, at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dasmariñas wants to make another run at a world championship, but he’s currently unranked by all four major boxing sanctioning bodies. A victory over Pierce, a highly regarded contender, could propel him back into the rankings.
Pierce is currently rated in both the super-bantamweight and featherweight divisions. In the super-bantamweight division, he is ranked No. 5 by the WBO and No. 18 by the WBC. He is also ranked No. 4 in the WBA featherweight class.
The 32-year-old Dasmariñas was once world-rated and fought for a world title once. He earned mandatory status after a unanimous decision win over Kenny Demecillo in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight title eliminator in 2019.
His world title shot came two years later against Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, who blasted Dasmariñas in just three rounds in the US.
Following his loss to Inoue, Dasmariñas rebounded with six wins in seven fights from 2021 to 2024. He, however, hit a roadblock after a knockout loss to Kyosuke Okamoto in his most recent fight last March 29 in Japan.
Dasmariñas is currently training in the US along with Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao, Mark Magsayo, Jerwin Ancajas, Eumir Marcial, and Jonas Sultan.
Pierce is on the verge of a world title shot. However, he has to beat Dasmariñas to continue his ascent in the division.
Since his majority decision defeat to Sulaiman Segawa in 2019, the 28-year-old Pierce has won his next 11 bouts, including victories over Filipino warriors Arthur Villanueva and Mike Plania.
Pierce is coming off a unanimous decision win over veteran Jose Sanmartin last year.
Dasmariñas is 36-4-2 with 25 knockouts, while Pierce is 20-2 with six knockouts. / EKA