Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue made history by becoming the second male boxer to achieve undisputed status in two different weight classes. Inoue delivered a stellar performance against his Filipino opponent, Marlon Tapales, unifying all the super bantamweight titles and becoming the first undisputed champion in the division’s history. The two champions headlined at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on December 26.
Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KO’s) held the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles, which he secured on July 25th this year after defeating then-unified champion Stephen Fulton (21-1, 8 KO’s). Marlon Tapales (37-4, 19 KO’s), who last fought Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9 KO’s) in April to win the WBA and IBF titles by a split decision, also entered the ring as a unified champion.
The two clashed in a battle that would determine the first undisputed champion at 122 lbs, and as anticipated, it was Naoya Inoue who claimed all the credit and accolades after knocking out Marlon Tapales in the tenth round of their fight.
Throughout the first nine rounds, Inoue dominated most, if not all, the rounds, using his wide array of skills to stay one step ahead of Tapales, who seemed unable to cope with Inoue’s quickness. As always, Inoue was the busier fighter, landing more punches overall and using the jab effectively to set up his right from the orthodox stance.
In the fourth round, Inoue scored a knockdown after Tapales almost breached his defense, seemingly coming close to genuinely hurting him. However, this only spurred Inoue on, and he eventually dropped Tapales after enduring the Filipino fighter’s onslaught. While Tapales’ counterpunching made Inoue think twice in the latter half of the match, it was Inoue’s determination that proved to be the decisive factor.
Tapales’ defense was systematically dismantled over the ten rounds as Inoue relentlessly peppered him. A brief spurt in the seventh by Tapales did nothing to change the overall result of the match, which appeared to be heading towards a lopsided decision win for Inoue until he unleashed a deadly combination in the tenth round, dropping Tapales and prompting the referee to call off the match after Tapales struggled to rise to his feet.
With his victory, Inoue added the WBA and IBF super bantamweight titles to his collection, making history in his home country of Japan by becoming undisputed for the second time following his December 13th triumph over Paul Butler. Naoya Inoue is now one of two fighters to become undisputed in two different weight classes in this current four-belt era, next to fellow pound-for-pound fighter Terence Crawford.
Inoue’s remarkable activity and achievements, marked by becoming undisputed twice in a little over a year, firmly place him ahead of the rest in the pound-for-pound rankings. Though fortune favored him in Tapales’ willingness to fight him, 2023 has been a showcase year for the Japanese fighter. He defeated Stephen Fulton earlier this year, solidifying himself as a future great, and now vanquished another unified champion in Marlon Tapales to cement his status as the pound-for-pound king.
Inoue’s future remains somewhat uncertain, as he has demonstrated the ability to move up in weight and challenge for more titles. Yet, with a supposedly pending fight against former 122 lbs unified champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Inoue still faces other tests to maintain his leadership in the pound-for-pound rankings for the foreseeable future.
The rest of the fight card featured Japanese bantamweight contenders Seiya Tsutsumi and Kazuki Anaguchi facing off in a pivotal match that put their undefeated records on the line. Tsutsumi won the match decisively over the course of ten rounds.
Ghanaian-Japanese welterweight Andy Hiraoka secured his expected win over Mexican contender Sebastian Diaz Maldonado, retaining his unbeaten record. However, questions arise as he seems unable to find the necessary opponents to be considered a legitimate contender at 147 lbs.
