[Boxing] Inoue vs Tapales for Unified Super Bantamweight Title - December 26

[Fatunad]

Obviously, in the last couple of fights of Inoue, he did score a knockout win that's why he has been tearing this division so to speak eventhough this is just his second fight. But his power is really one of a kind for this lower weight class and we don't know if Tapales has the chin to stay against that power punch.

Inoue does not only attack on the chin, if Tapales has a solid chin, Inoue might go with his signature liver shot. So Tapales has to be protect his weakness as Inoue will certainly find it once they are in the ring. Although Inoue has a lot of power in both hands, but we've seen him struggle a bit during his first fight with Donaire, so it's important that Tapales will look for that weakness too if he wants to have a chance of winning.

It's just unfortunate that most fans believe this is not going to be a competitive fight as believing Tapales only has 10% chance of winning makes the heavy favorite unlikely to lose. That two belts Tapales are holding are non sense in this conversation because we can't make people believe what they don't want to.

Right, that's why Inoue is a complete fighter, if he can't take you with that body shots, it will have a effect on you later as he will soften you up. That's what happen to Butler in their fight, Butler is tough going to almost full round on Inoue, however, that body shots took a toll on him.

Maybe that's one strategy of Inoue here to try and test Inoue in the body first. And then go for the chin and test it throughout the fight. Tapales here is really on a dangerous path and we can only imagine how he can beat the Monster at his prime.

He will surely start with attacking the body so his opponent will be focus on defending his body from the solid shots of Inoue. As the fight goes on, that's when Inoue will try to throw some combination that could also hit the chin of his opponent, and because of his quickness, he'll be able to deliver that.

Let's look back on his last KO win, Inoue hit Fulton to the body and then to the chin, that ended the fight in round 8.

All The Angles of Naoya Inoue Highlight Reel KO of Fulton | Now Unified Champion | FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Yeah,throwing up some combinations with alternative body shots or targeting the chin then it would really be just that a common target or must thing to be done by boxers. When it comes to technicality and IQ
then i could really say that Inoue does have it, im not saying that Tapales is bad but if you are really that trying to look and compare both fight histories and their wins then there's no doubt that Inoue is really that indeed the better fighter on here. It is really just that there are those people who are really that still that wanting for Inoue to be beaten up or on having that kind of upset on which we do know that this is something
that we do know that it would be hard for Tapales. If their team had find out ways on how to beat up Inoue then it would be understandable already that Inoue is already prepared for that one too.
We are only that 3 days left for this upcoming fight and lets see if this one would fit out for the fight of the year or biggest upset of the year. 

Lets see on how long that Tapales would be able to handle those solid body shots from Inoue. For sure he do make out some preparation on how he would really be avoiding that.
We do know that INoue is really have that power and speed on which it is really just that right that they should really be that careful into this one.

[Yamifoud]

Lets see on how long that Tapales would be able to handle those solid body shots from Inoue. For sure he do make out some preparation on how he would really be avoiding that.
We do know that INoue is really have that power and speed on which it is really just that right that they should really be that careful into this one.

He can't handle it if he would allow himself to get hit by Inoue's solid shots. Tapales needs to assert his power to Inoue as well so Inoue will not just bully him in the fight. If Tapales will hit Inoue and Inoue felt the power of Tapales, that might make Inout not too aggressive and he'll just play the chess game.

With that, I believe Tapales would last in 12 rounds and there's a possibility that he can win the fight.

Giving Inoue high confidence early will only make the life of Tapales miserable in the duration of the fight, so he has to be careful, his movement should be well calculated.

[bisdak40]

Lets see on how long that Tapales would be able to handle those solid body shots from Inoue. For sure he do make out some preparation on how he would really be avoiding that.
We do know that INoue is really have that power and speed on which it is really just that right that they should really be that careful into this one.

He can't handle it if he would allow himself to get hit by Inoue's solid shots. Tapales needs to assert his power to Inoue as well so Inoue will not just bully him in the fight. If Tapales will hit Inoue and Inoue felt the power of Tapales, that might make Inout not too aggressive and he'll just play the chess game.

With that, I believe Tapales would last in 12 rounds and there's a possibility that he can win the fight.

Giving Inoue high confidence early will only make the life of Tapales miserable in the duration of the fight, so he has to be careful, his movement should be well calculated.

If i were in the corner of Tapales on fight night, i would advise him not to respect too much Inoue's power as that would game Inoue the much needed confidence on the fight. I know that those body shots are lethal but he should also avoid those and counter whenever he can. Easily said than done but this is the only way Tapales would win the fight, be aggressive and not just be on the ring to survive.

[Botnake]

Easily said than done but this is the only way Tapales would win the fight, be aggressive and not just be on the ring to survive.

So far that hasn't been done by the previous opponents of Inoue after the Donair rematch.

Paul Butler and Stephen Fulton both survive longer than the usual average of Inoue's opponents, but they didn't come to win, they just came to survive, unfortunately for them, Inoue was quicker than what they are expecting, so in the later rounds, they were still caught by some clean shots that resulted them to lose via KO.

Against Butler, round 10 KO, and against Fulton, it's round 8 KO.

So with your statement that Tapales has to be aggressive, it's either the fight will end early on Inoue's favor or his, that's how I see it.

[Sanitough]

Against Butler, round 10 KO, and against Fulton, it's round 8 KO.

That would have ended up a boring fight if Inoue were not able to KO these two fighters. This only goes to show that even if they are champions on their own but they aren't on the level of Inoue yet.

Let's try to answer this question, is Tapales is in the level of Butler and Fulton, if the answer is yes, then Inoue would still likely end up winning an easy fight. The answer should be Tapales being above the level of the last two fighterst hat Inoue defeated.

So with your statement that Tapales has to be aggressive, it's either the fight will end early on Inoue's favor or his, that's how I see it.

It doesn't matter if it will end in few rounds as long as the quality of the fight is very entertaining. Besides, that's what we came for, we cheer on the fighter we re leaning but we always expect a fight that would satisfy us, especially for those who pay for the price of subscription or venue tickets.

[Fatunad]

Lets see on how long that Tapales would be able to handle those solid body shots from Inoue. For sure he do make out some preparation on how he would really be avoiding that.
We do know that INoue is really have that power and speed on which it is really just that right that they should really be that careful into this one.

He can't handle it if he would allow himself to get hit by Inoue's solid shots. Tapales needs to assert his power to Inoue as well so Inoue will not just bully him in the fight. If Tapales will hit Inoue and Inoue felt the power of Tapales, that might make Inout not too aggressive and he'll just play the chess game.

With that, I believe Tapales would last in 12 rounds and there's a possibility that he can win the fight.

Giving Inoue high confidence early will only make the life of Tapales miserable in the duration of the fight, so he has to be careful, his movement should be well calculated.

If i were in the corner of Tapales on fight night, i would advise him not to respect too much Inoue's power as that would game Inoue the much needed confidence on the fight. I know that those body shots are lethal but he should also avoid those and counter whenever he can. Easily said than done but this is the only way Tapales would win the fight, be aggressive and not just be on the ring to survive.

Running around or planning to buy some time to evade up that actual in-fight would really just let things getting in favor with Inoue and  this is something that they should really be that careful with because if not then they would really be putting themselves on such trouble and it is really just that right that they should really be giving Inoue a hard time in speaking about infights just like on what happened into Donaire.
That kind of style would really be would really be that an effective one if Donaire wasnt short with that stamina and that would really be that a good example for Tapales on at least having the idea on how
he would really be getting that giving a good fight by not running just like into those previous fighters that Inoue on which they are really that too evasive.

There might be flaws but this is something that would really be covered up though. It is really just that impossible that they hadnt made any adjustments on which it would really be that normal that they would really be having that patching up their flaws as a fighter.

[Viscore]

Lets see on how long that Tapales would be able to handle those solid body shots from Inoue. For sure he do make out some preparation on how he would really be avoiding that.
We do know that INoue is really have that power and speed on which it is really just that right that they should really be that careful into this one.

He can't handle it if he would allow himself to get hit by Inoue's solid shots. Tapales needs to assert his power to Inoue as well so Inoue will not just bully him in the fight. If Tapales will hit Inoue and Inoue felt the power of Tapales, that might make Inout not too aggressive and he'll just play the chess game.

With that, I believe Tapales would last in 12 rounds and there's a possibility that he can win the fight.

Giving Inoue high confidence early will only make the life of Tapales miserable in the duration of the fight, so he has to be careful, his movement should be well calculated.

If i were in the corner of Tapales on fight night, i would advise him not to respect too much Inoue's power as that would game Inoue the much needed confidence on the fight. I know that those body shots are lethal but he should also avoid those and counter whenever he can. Easily said than done but this is the only way Tapales would win the fight, be aggressive and not just be on the ring to survive.

Running around or planning to buy some time to evade up that actual in-fight would really just let things getting in favor with Inoue and  this is something that they should really be that careful with because if not then they would really be putting themselves on such trouble and it is really just that right that they should really be giving Inoue a hard time in speaking about infights just like on what happened into Donaire.
That kind of style would really be would really be that an effective one if Donaire wasnt short with that stamina and that would really be that a good example for Tapales on at least having the idea on how
he would really be getting that giving a good fight by not running just like into those previous fighters that Inoue on which they are really that too evasive.

Most specially if it will end up to the judges scorecards, don't expect anymore that Tapales would still be favored by the judges. I'm sure Tapales camp knows about that possibility, and they don't want to reach this fight to 12 rounds, they will create a strategy to beat Inoue vi KO/TKO. As to what strategy is that, we will find out during the actual fight and at the same time we will also find out if that will work. Maybe have tried to defeat Inoue but nobody succeeded, so it will surprise the world if Tapales will come up on top and win via KO.

[coin-investor]

It doesn't matter if it will end in few rounds as long as the quality of the fight is very entertaining. Besides, that's what we came for, we cheer on the fighter we re leaning but we always expect a fight that would satisfy us, especially for those who pay for the price of subscription or venue tickets.

It's Inoue's fight so it's going to be entertaining, Inoue doesn't have a single boring fight, it always ends up with his opponents getting knocked out, I have seen both fighters' highlights, workouts, and training but however I looked at it Inoue still has an edge, I don't rule out an upset but Inoue is always hungry and he shows consistency on his performance I hope Tapales can surpass Donaire's performance in their first meeting where Donaire just loss by a decision.
If Tapales happens to upset Inoue, this will be a huge upset and one for the record.
But Inoue is just too good in his training and sparring he deserves his name the Monster because even in his training he is a monster.

[robelneo]

Filipino fight fans don't have to look for free social media streams which most of the time are flag for copyright infringement,

Filipinos can now watch on free television Marlon Tapales’ historic title fight with Japanese “Monster” Naoya Inoue at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on December 26.
This developed as boxing legend Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions joined forces with Cignal TV and Arena Plus to air the Tapales-Inoue super bantamweight unification collision.

Pacquiao gifts Filipinos with historic Tapales-Inoue title fight on free TV

Inoue is a heavy favorite to win the fight

tagged a -2000 favorite by oddsmakers

so if you're a risk taker you can take a chance on Tapales, my heart and prayer goes to Tapales but my pocket says Inoue is the best bet.

Can Tapales do a Pacquiao when he first fought in Las Vegas against Ledwaba?

[cabron]

It doesn't matter if it will end in few rounds as long as the quality of the fight is very entertaining. Besides, that's what we came for, we cheer on the fighter we re leaning but we always expect a fight that would satisfy us, especially for those who pay for the price of subscription or venue tickets.

It's Inoue's fight so it's going to be entertaining, Inoue doesn't have a single boring fight, it always ends up with his opponents getting knocked out, I have seen both fighters' highlights, workouts, and training but however I looked at it Inoue still has an edge, I don't rule out an upset but Inoue is always hungry and he shows consistency on his performance I hope Tapales can surpass Donaire's performance in their first meeting where Donaire just loss by a decision.
If Tapales happens to upset Inoue, this will be a huge upset and one for the record.
But Inoue is just too good in his training and sparring he deserves his name the Monster because even in his training he is a monster.

Tapales' last fight with Akhmadaliev is not convincing he was nearly knockdown but the points he made saved him from the loss. He is very open to Inoue's counter which is far heavier than Tapales' left so it's not so impossible that this fight will end quickly probably in less than 5 rounds. Not to mention Inoue is likely to cheat weight against him, just a few days he is still 127lbs.

And by the way, Inoue announced he will stay to defend the title twice.

[Fundamentals Of]

Those who are hoping for an upset here and has actually placed a bet for it will definitely enjoy the very high odds for Tapales. That's 8.60. If it is to be translated to the probability of Tapales winning this match, that would only be around 10% chance of winning.

That's 11.6% using https://www.aceodds.com/bet-calculator/odds-converter.html.

A very slim chance of winning, that's why it deserved a high payout, but honestly, even at the odds, if I'll bet on Tapales I wouldn't be too confident with my bet as I know how strong Inoue is. He can end this fight early if he will be more aggressive than usual, but knowing him, he has matured a lot and knows how to attack based on the right timing.

Honestly, I can't see how Tapales can upset Inoue. In terms of points Inoue is clearly more agile than Tapales so he could earn points easily. In terms of power Inoue is also more dangerous than Tapales. Tapales could even be knocked out in this fight.

If we don't believe him but we need to support him, it's advisable not to bet on the fight and just watch the game. At least, if he loss, we don't need to spend our money although we can spend a bit of emotion.

I won't be betting in this fight. If I have to make a bet, it should go to Inoue, but it is almost not worth betting for him. With the moneyline odds of 1.04, who would grab that? Even if you go for the winning method to take advantage of higher odds, the probability is that you would go for Inoue by KO. And that's only 1.17. Even that is not worthy for me. I'd rather just watch the fight.

What I'm hoping for is that Tapales is 100% ready and that he won't be psychologically or emotionally affected by his opponent. If Tapales has 100% confidence in this fight, he will definitely be able to give a good fight. Even if he losses, at least he gives Naoya a run for his money.

[stomachgrowls]

It doesn't matter if it will end in few rounds as long as the quality of the fight is very entertaining. Besides, that's what we came for, we cheer on the fighter we re leaning but we always expect a fight that would satisfy us, especially for those who pay for the price of subscription or venue tickets.

It's Inoue's fight so it's going to be entertaining, Inoue doesn't have a single boring fight, it always ends up with his opponents getting knocked out, I have seen both fighters' highlights, workouts, and training but however I looked at it Inoue still has an edge, I don't rule out an upset but Inoue is always hungry and he shows consistency on his performance I hope Tapales can surpass Donaire's performance in their first meeting where Donaire just loss by a decision.
If Tapales happens to upset Inoue, this will be a huge upset and one for the record.
But Inoue is just too good in his training and sparring he deserves his name the Monster because even in his training he is a monster.

Tapales' last fight with Akhmadaliev is not convincing he was nearly knockdown but the points he made saved him from the loss. He is very open to Inoue's counter which is far heavier than Tapales' left so it's not so impossible that this fight will end quickly probably in less than 5 rounds. Not to mention Inoue is likely to cheat weight against him, just a few days he is still 127lbs.

And by the way, Inoue announced he will stay to defend the title twice.

And also Inoue said this.

“My goal was never just to move up in weight. It was always to create history,” Inoue told BoxingScene.com.
https://www.boxingscene.com/inoue-my-goal-never-just-move-up-weight-it-always-create-history--180190

So he isnt really that just focusing on climbing up on weight division alone but also he is really that making it every fight to be that making some history
In regarding into your sentiment on which i do agree with that is that if we do see on Tapales recent fight then it is really just that sloppy and something
that cant be able to beat up Inoue. 5 rounds TKO? Possible but lets see if Tapales had made out some adjustments on at least making things way more better
than before but in terms of raw power then hands down to Inoue.

[bisdak40]

I won't be betting in this fight. If I have to make a bet, it should go to Inoue, but it is almost not worth betting for him. With the moneyline odds of 1.04, who would grab that? Even if you go for the winning method to take advantage of higher odds, the probability is that you would go for Inoue by KO. And that's only 1.17. Even that is not worthy for me. I'd rather just watch the fight.

What I'm hoping for is that Tapales is 100% ready and that he won't be psychologically or emotionally affected by his opponent. If Tapales has 100% confidence in this fight, he will definitely be able to give a good fight. Even if he losses, at least he gives Naoya a run for his money.

There's another option if you don't want the ML odds for Inoue and you are confident that this will end in a knockout, see below. But as for me, i have a feeling that this would go the distance because Tapales is 100 percent ready for this fight and he trained for this for almost six months. So with that i'm betting that this fight would go over 7.5 @2.20.

[Distinctin]

I won't be betting in this fight. If I have to make a bet, it should go to Inoue, but it is almost not worth betting for him. With the moneyline odds of 1.04, who would grab that? Even if you go for the winning method to take advantage of higher odds, the probability is that you would go for Inoue by KO. And that's only 1.17. Even that is not worthy for me. I'd rather just watch the fight.

What I'm hoping for is that Tapales is 100% ready and that he won't be psychologically or emotionally affected by his opponent. If Tapales has 100% confidence in this fight, he will definitely be able to give a good fight. Even if he losses, at least he gives Naoya a run for his money.

There's another option if you don't want the ML odds for Inoue and you are confident that this will end in a knockout, see below. But as for me, i have a feeling that this would go the distance because Tapales is 100 percent ready for this fight and he trained for this for almost six months. So with that i'm betting that this fight would go over 7.5 @2.20.

Was the odds boasted? Because on the screenshot it was only 2.09 while you got 2.20.

Anyway, I think you also have a point, it's just important that we follow the result of our analysis, we can't be too bias here because if we are, we will just be closing our eyes and bet in favor of Tapales in all the market that is available.

Can't wait for this fight, I hope Tapales will now be relax and will not over train as we want to see him 100% ready in the fight knowing he's up agains the biggest challenge of his life, and if he lose, I hope he'll not suffer a devasted loss that will result to major injury, that's what I pray for him also.

[Japinat]

Those who are hoping for an upset here and has actually placed a bet for it will definitely enjoy the very high odds for Tapales. That's 8.60. If it is to be translated to the probability of Tapales winning this match, that would only be around 10% chance of winning.

That's 11.6% using https://www.aceodds.com/bet-calculator/odds-converter.html.

A very slim chance of winning, that's why it deserved a high payout, but honestly, even at the odds, if I'll bet on Tapales I wouldn't be too confident with my bet as I know how strong Inoue is. He can end this fight early if he will be more aggressive than usual, but knowing him, he has matured a lot and knows how to attack based on the right timing.

Honestly, I can't see how Tapales can upset Inoue. In terms of points Inoue is clearly more agile than Tapales so he could earn points easily. In terms of power Inoue is also more dangerous than Tapales. Tapales could even be knocked out in this fight.

If we don't believe him but we need to support him, it's advisable not to bet on the fight and just watch the game. At least, if he loss, we don't need to spend our money although we can spend a bit of emotion.

I won't be betting in this fight. If I have to make a bet, it should go to Inoue, but it is almost not worth betting for him. With the moneyline odds of 1.04, who would grab that? Even if you go for the winning method to take advantage of higher odds, the probability is that you would go for Inoue by KO. And that's only 1.17. Even that is not worthy for me. I'd rather just watch the fight.

Still okay though. When you're in doubt, don't force yourself so you won't regret if the outcome aren't aline with your expectation. Just enjoy the fight, maybe grab some beer as this one sure not gonna be a boring one, for boxing that are boring, you grab coffee, this one it should be beer. 

Not worthy for you but maybe others sees it as an opportunity, especially that 1.17, I think that's good enough though.

What I'm hoping for is that Tapales is 100% ready and that he won't be psychologically or emotionally affected by his opponent. If Tapales has 100% confidence in this fight, he will definitely be able to give a good fight. Even if he losses, at least he gives Naoya a run for his money.

That way Tapales has been showing up, he seemed to be confident but it's still different in the actual fight, so hopefully he will carry that confidence.

[Botnake]

Against Butler, round 10 KO, and against Fulton, it's round 8 KO.

That would have ended up a boring fight if Inoue were not able to KO these two fighters. This only goes to show that even if they are champions on their own but they aren't on the level of Inoue yet.

Let's try to answer this question, is Tapales is in the level of Butler and Fulton, if the answer is yes, then Inoue would still likely end up winning an easy fight. The answer should be Tapales being above the level of the last two fighterst hat Inoue defeated.

Based on paper, Tapales is just on the level of Fulton I guess, maybe not on Butler because Butler only get the belts because Casimero was disqualified on the fight due to violation he committed. So if he's on the level of Fulton, would you assume that he'll lose? Well, maybe you are right, there's a high chance but let's just find out during the actual fight as upset could happen anytime, just like what happen to Parker vs Wilder fight, it was Wilder who is the heavy favorite but loss.

So with your statement that Tapales has to be aggressive, it's either the fight will end early on Inoue's favor or his, that's how I see it.

It doesn't matter if it will end in few rounds as long as the quality of the fight is very entertaining. Besides, that's what we came for, we cheer on the fighter we re leaning but we always expect a fight that would satisfy us, especially for those who pay for the price of subscription or venue tickets.

Of course, it's the quality of the fight that is more important. If fact, most of the fights of Inoue ended up early and yet he is still named as one of the most exciting boxers in the world, the most in Japan.

[bisdak40]

We have a fight guys, both boxers have made the scales with no problems or whatsoever.

Inoue - 121.6 lbs
Tapales - 121.2 lbs

No official videos yet from Top Rank but once they released that one, we will post it here.

One thing i have observed though, Inoue was uncomfortable on facing Tapales in their last presser, might be his personality or strategy to nake Tapales believe that Inoue is somewhat have fear in him hehe.

edit: here's the video of the weigh-in.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/772431641384349
https://www.facebook.com/reel/326796630257020

[Hirose UK]

We have a fight guys, both boxers have made the scales with no problems or whatsoever.

Inoue - 121.6 lbs
Tapales - 121.2 lbs

No official videos yet from Top Rank but once they released that one, we will post it here.

One thing i have observed though, Inoue was uncomfortable on facing Tapales in their last presser, might be his personality or strategy to nake Tapales believe that Inoue is somewhat have fear in him hehe.

This historic fight will take place tomorrow and we will see who is the real undisputed champion, will Inoue add to the title record he has earned or will Tapales take the title and make Inoue lose big name at the peak of his career as an undefeated boxer.
After the weigh-in is done and there are no problems whatsoever in terms of losing or gaining weight significantly, I think they will rest with full ambition to be able to beat each other in tomorrow fight.

From the last interview, Inoue stated that he would be careful facing Tapales and he didn't want to make mistake that would benefit Tapales because Tapales was not a fighter he could underestimate.
This statement might be assumed to be what you said, but this time it was really exciting fight for Inoue so one of his worries was that he didn't want to be beaten by Tapales.

Inoue is made the favorite with an odd of 1.05 while Tapales has an odd of 8.60.
This will be very profitable if Tapales manages to beat Inoue.

[bisdak40]

Inoue is made the favorite with an odd of 1.05 while Tapales has an odd of 8.60.
This will be very profitable if Tapales manages to beat Inoue.

Profitable indeed but this is one tough hill to climb for Tapales. To be safe (though also risky), my bet is that this fight will go over 8 rounds, that way, whoever won by decision, my bet would also win. It is @5.60 for Inoue to win by decision but as a sign of respect to my compatriot, I would not take that option.

[bbc.reporter]

@bisdak40. I very much agree. This fight is not something similar to Canelo vs. Bivol where fans can speculate an argument for Bivol to get the victory. On Inoue vs. Tapales, there might certainly be no argument. However, are we underestimating Tapales?

In any case, Naoya Inoue has won by knockout against lefthanded opponents before the fight reached round  5. This might occur again which might make under 6.5 rounds a good bet. There is also round range 4-6 victory for Inoue.