Filipino boxing champion Marlon Tapales (R) won the WBA and IBF world super bantamweight belts by beating Uzbek fighter Murodjon Akhmadaliev in April this year. He is scheduled to fight Naoya Inoue on December 26 in Tokyo. MELINA PIZANO/MATCHROOM.
Naoya Inoue a Japanese professional boxer, also known as ‘The Monster’ is expected to return to the ring after a five month break from his last fight. Through his calculated skills he has proven to be unbeatable and is most likely expected to beat his Filipino rival Marlon Tapales in a bout scheduled for December 26 2023 in Japan.
Inoue (25-0, 22KOs) is well known for his timing speed, punching power and body-punching ability, besides being a four division world champion he is currently the unified super bantamweight world champion. He holds both World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight titles since July 2023.
“The sensational Naoya Inoue astounds with every performance. We are witnessing an all-time great fighter in the prime of his career,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum in media reports.
Inoue is a former undisputed bantamweight world champion having held World Boxing Association (WBA) super, The International Boxing Federation (IBF) and The Ring Magazine titles between 2019 and January 2023.
“I’m fully satisfied with the situation around me as I hear the negotiation of the unification bout with (my) WBA/IBF counterpart Marlon Tapales — with all the four belts on the line — is coming to an end soon,” said Inuoe.
Tapales (37-3, 19KOs) has held world championships in two weight classes including the unified (WBA) super and (IBF) super bantamweight titles since April 2023. He won his recent titles when he dethroned Murodjon Akhmadalier in April this year in Texas, US.
“It’s really, really important for me, not because it’s for the undisputed, but to beat Inoue,” said Tapales. “He’s number one or two, pound for pound. He’s a really good, skilled boxer; they say he’s the complete package. Beating him is more important than the belts,” he said while making remarks on his scheduled fight with Inoue.
Fans are looking forward to see Marlon soon after Christmas celebration facing the unbeatable ‘Monster’ even though it requires him to raise his game bar higher, not forgetting that Naoya recently gave Stephen Fulton a beating in the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan that had him win two bantamweight titles.
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