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

[bisdak40]

@bisdak40. The fight is speculated to occur on November. The venue might also be in Japan. However, Inoue's promoters should begin organizing his fights in Las Vegas if they want him to become a big name like Pacman.

Thanks for this information mate, have already updated the OP and also the title, reflecting November as the tentative date of the fight.

I also wonder why have they not bring Inoue to the Sin City where he can be more popular if he frequents there. Anyway, it is up to Top Rank what is good or not good for their cash cow.

Well, Tapales has the chance, but I doubt he will be able to dethrone Inoue. Regardless, however, this is the fight of his life. This is already a huge achievement for him. To be given the chance to face Naoya and, more importantly, to become the unified champion, is a big opportunity he couldn't afford to miss. He should be giving his all not just during the fight but even during the training. Defeating Naoya and unifying the belts mean a lot.

Agree, this is a tough one for our compatriot but the fight itself is already a win for Tapales as seldom a Filipino boxer will be on this kind of stage, biggest fight of his life and for sure the biggest payday as of date. The good thing about Filipino boxers when up against the world and nobody expected him to win, it will give them the motivation and often they rise to the occasion and shock the whole world when the final bell rung.

[1714604424]

1714604424

[1714604424]

1714604424

[1714604424]

1714604424

[1714604424]

1714604424

[1714604424]

1714604424

[Darker45]

Well, Tapales has the chance, but I doubt he will be able to dethrone Inoue. Regardless, however, this is the fight of his life. This is already a huge achievement for him. To be given the chance to face Naoya and, more importantly, to become the unified champion, is a big opportunity he couldn't afford to miss. He should be giving his all not just during the fight but even during the training. Defeating Naoya and unifying the belts mean a lot.

Agree, this is a tough one for our compatriot but the fight itself is already a win for Tapales as seldom a Filipino boxer will be on this kind of stage, biggest fight of his life and for sure the biggest payday as of date. The good thing about Filipino boxers when up against the world and nobody expected him to win, it will give them the motivation and often they rise to the occasion and shock the whole world when the final bell rung.

Well, we can only hope so.

Yeah, I agree that we seem to take motivation from being the underdog and when nobody is expecting anything from us. It's like a huge amount of baggage is taken off if we have nothing to lose or if we're going against the world.

Anyway, it's probably expected that this fight will be held in Japan. Naoya very seldom fights outside of his home country. But Tapales isn't a stranger to fighting in Japan and against Japanese fighters. If I'm not mistaken, Naoya is his 5^th Japanese opponent and this is also his 5^th time fighting there. So it's probably not a huge factor for him to once again fight against a Japanese opponent in his home court.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Well, Tapales has the chance, but I doubt he will be able to dethrone Inoue. Regardless, however, this is the fight of his life. This is already a huge achievement for him. To be given the chance to face Naoya and, more importantly, to become the unified champion, is a big opportunity he couldn't afford to miss. He should be giving his all not just during the fight but even during the training. Defeating Naoya and unifying the belts mean a lot.

Agree, this is a tough one for our compatriot but the fight itself is already a win for Tapales as seldom a Filipino boxer will be on this kind of stage, biggest fight of his life and for sure the biggest payday as of date. The good thing about Filipino boxers when up against the world and nobody expected him to win, it will give them the motivation and often they rise to the occasion and shock the whole world when the final bell rung.

Well, we can only hope so.

Yeah, I agree that we seem to take motivation from being the underdog and when nobody is expecting anything from us. It's like a huge amount of baggage is taken off if we have nothing to lose or if we're going against the world.

Anyway, it's probably expected that this fight will be held in Japan. Naoya very seldom fights outside of his home country. But Tapales isn't a stranger to fighting in Japan and against Japanese fighters. If I'm not mistaken, Naoya is his 5^th Japanese opponent and this is also his 5^th time fighting there. So it's probably not a huge factor for him to once again fight against a Japanese opponent in his home court.

And just like how Tapales beat Akhmadaliev in his own game, maybe there will be a small chance for Tapales to upset the Japanese. It's going to be a long shot, but who knows, when we least expected that someone is going to lose in a fight, suddenly, he doesn't have any pressure on his side and just play and fight as if nothing to lose.

I agree that it will definitely be in Japan again, but being Asian, I think Tapales will have no problem in Japan. And as you have said, he is used to fighting in their backyard so it will not be a disadvantage for him.

[Kemarit]

@bisdak40. The fight is speculated to occur on November. The venue might also be in Japan. However, Inoue's promoters should begin organizing his fights in Las Vegas if they want him to become a big name like Pacman.

Thanks for this information mate, have already updated the OP and also the title, reflecting November as the tentative date of the fight.

I also wonder why have they not bring Inoue to the Sin City where he can be more popular if he frequents there. Anyway, it is up to Top Rank what is good or not good for their cash cow.

Well, Tapales has the chance, but I doubt he will be able to dethrone Inoue. Regardless, however, this is the fight of his life. This is already a huge achievement for him. To be given the chance to face Naoya and, more importantly, to become the unified champion, is a big opportunity he couldn't afford to miss. He should be giving his all not just during the fight but even during the training. Defeating Naoya and unifying the belts mean a lot.

Agree, this is a tough one for our compatriot but the fight itself is already a win for Tapales as seldom a Filipino boxer will be on this kind of stage, biggest fight of his life and for sure the biggest payday as of date. The good thing about Filipino boxers when up against the world and nobody expected him to win, it will give them the motivation and often they rise to the occasion and shock the whole world when the final bell rung.

Inoue has fought in the US, but I do agree, Bob Arum knows the blue print of bringing Inoue to the US and have his name etch just like Pacquiao. But I guess Arum's counterpart in Japan doesn't want to take the risk of having Inoue fighting in the US for now. They prepare in the comfort of their own home court. But for us, the real test for Inoue is really in the US because of the huge boxing fans there. Maybe if he goes up again in weight and challenges for the belt at 126 lbs, it should be in the US by that time. As for this fight, Tapales is a huge under dog here, no doubt and because of that performance by Inoue, almost everyone is going to expect a knockout here.

[Questat]

Inoue has fought in the US, but I do agree, Bob Arum knows the blue print of bringing Inoue to the US and have his name etch just like Pacquiao. But I guess Arum's counterpart in Japan doesn't want to take the risk of having Inoue fighting in the US for now. They prepare in the comfort of their own home court. But for us, the real test for Inoue is really in the US because of the huge boxing fans there. Maybe if he goes up again in weight and challenges for the belt at 126 lbs, it should be in the US by that time. As for this fight, Tapales is a huge under dog here, no doubt and because of that performance by Inoue, almost everyone is going to expect a knockout here.

I honestly don't think it's a problem for Inoue if he will fight in the US. The champion is known to be a KO artist, so as long as he wins his fights via KO, there should be no need for judges anymore. We saw how good he is, and I think it's time for him to fight in a country where he could potentially make a lot of money, just like what Pacman did. He took risks and fought in a big market, and now he is a wealthy man.

[bbc.reporter]

@Kelvinid. Those are very accurate odds after the performance we have witnessed from Inoue against Fulton, I reckon. I have become convinced on the Japanese fighter. Inoue is like the young Pacman but with more knockout power in his hands.

I agree, he might not reach 8 division title as Pacman, but the way he is destroying everything that in his path, it's like Pacman when he was in the beginning of his career specially at lower weights. And Inoue can make another history, for Japan and then having won the unified title in bantamweight and super bantamweight in the 4 belt era.

However, he will be the first boxer in the history of the sport to be a unified champion in 2 weight divisions if he is victorious against Marlon Tapales. After this, it might be 3 unified championships if he again moves up to featherweight. Who are the big names there? I reckon all of the featherweight champions can be beaten by Inoue.

On Inoue not being very known to make an argument to bring him to Las Vegas, the promoters can make him the undercard for an event of Canelo or another very famous boxer.

[Kelvinid]

@Kelvinid. Those are very accurate odds after the performance we have witnessed from Inoue against Fulton, I reckon. I have become convinced on the Japanese fighter. Inoue is like the young Pacman but with more knockout power in his hands.

I agree, he might not reach 8 division title as Pacman, but the way he is destroying everything that in his path, it's like Pacman when he was in the beginning of his career specially at lower weights. And Inoue can make another history, for Japan and then having won the unified title in bantamweight and super bantamweight in the 4 belt era.

However, he will be the first boxer in the history of the sport to be a unified champion in 2 weight divisions if he is victorious against Marlon Tapales. After this, it might be 3 unified championships if he again moves up to featherweight. Who are the big names there? I reckon all of the featherweight champions can be beaten by Inoue.

On Inoue not being very known to make an argument to bring him to Las Vegas, the promoters can make him the undercard for an event of Canelo or another very famous boxer.

I think Inoue can be called as undisputed champion if he ever beat Tapales because both boxers are holding 2 belts already, so Inoue would hold that four belts if he wins.

Junior featherweight (122 lbs.)
WBO: Naoya Inoue

IBF: Marlon Tapales

WBA: Marlon Tapales

WBC: Naoya Inoue

About the featherweight, it has four champions so Inoue might stay for a while in case he'll continue his domination.

Featherweight (126 lbs.)
WBO: Robeisy Ramirez

IBF: Luis Alberto Lopez

WBA: Leigh Wood

WBC: Rey Vargas*

Source : https://www.espn.ph/boxing/story/_/id/12370125/boxing-champions-list

[FinneysTrueVision]

Inoue has fought in the US, but I do agree, Bob Arum knows the blue print of bringing Inoue to the US and have his name etch just like Pacquiao. But I guess Arum's counterpart in Japan doesn't want to take the risk of having Inoue fighting in the US for now. They prepare in the comfort of their own home court. But for us, the real test for Inoue is really in the US because of the huge boxing fans there. Maybe if he goes up again in weight and challenges for the belt at 126 lbs, it should be in the US by that time. As for this fight, Tapales is a huge under dog here, no doubt and because of that performance by Inoue, almost everyone is going to expect a knockout here.

With all the streaming services out there, fighting in the US is not as important as it used to be because they can still reach a large audience while remaining in Japan. This is a fight that will attract a lot of tourists so Las Vegas casinos should make Inoue an offer he can't refuse. Fighting in the US will give him more media exposure and will be a great way to hype up potential fights against American-based fighters.

However, he will be the first boxer in the history of the sport to be a unified champion in 2 weight divisions if he is victorious against Marlon Tapales. After this, it might be 3 unified championships if he again moves up to featherweight. Who are the big names there? I reckon all of the featherweight champions can be beaten by Inoue.

It all depends on what happens this Saturday. Crawford has a chance to beat him to that accomplishment of undisputed in 2 weight divisions.

[aioc]

@Kelvinid. Those are very accurate odds after the performance we have witnessed from Inoue against Fulton, I reckon. I have become convinced on the Japanese fighter. Inoue is like the young Pacman but with more knockout power in his hands.

I agree, he might not reach 8 division title as Pacman, but the way he is destroying everything that in his path, it's like Pacman when he was in the beginning of his career specially at lower weights. And Inoue can make another history, for Japan and then having won the unified title in bantamweight and super bantamweight in the 4 belt era.

However, he will be the first boxer in the history of the sport to be a unified champion in 2 weight divisions if he is victorious against Marlon Tapales. After this, it might be 3 unified championships if he again moves up to featherweight. Who are the big names there? I reckon all of the featherweight champions can be beaten by Inoue.

There's no Featherweight champion that can match Inoue's power there's this thing circulating in social media on Fan Page boxing page, that matches Inoue to Tank Davis, only 13 lbs set them apart, they have the same reach and they have the same height, they can go for it in a catchweight, it will be a huge attraction both fighters have speed, power, skill, and charisma, I'm sure some promoters are thinking to match these two great warriors in the ring.

[livingfree]

A few months of preparation and rest would be enough for Inoue? Well, this is making me admire him more.

The odds will surely again be too low for Inoue and will be greater for Tapales. I guess that everyone is going to put their money on the lines for Inoue even the odds will be definitely low and not that much at all.

If Inoue has said that he's got a goal until the end of this year then we will see if he's a man of honor for his own words.

Unless Inoue suffers an injury again, I think as long as the two camps agreed, the fight will happen somewhere in November.  Besides Inoue isn't beaten in his fight against Fulton, you can see it on how clear his face is.  With the fight against Tapales, I think Inoue will also knock Tapales out.  It is more likely to happen because 2 of the 3 losses of Tapales are stoppage.  This simply clear that Tapales isn't that tough to receive Inoue's punch without any problem.

I don't think that he'll get an injury prior to this match against Tapales. As you have said, he's still in good condition just after he beat and knocked out Fulton.

That's making the process easier for him.

With what I have seen from the thoughts of other boxing fans after seeing this match to happen soon. They're also having the same opinion as yours that this is going to be an Inoue KO again.

[Natalim]

@Kelvinid. Those are very accurate odds after the performance we have witnessed from Inoue against Fulton, I reckon. I have become convinced on the Japanese fighter. Inoue is like the young Pacman but with more knockout power in his hands.

I agree, he might not reach 8 division title as Pacman, but the way he is destroying everything that in his path, it's like Pacman when he was in the beginning of his career specially at lower weights. And Inoue can make another history, for Japan and then having won the unified title in bantamweight and super bantamweight in the 4 belt era.

However, he will be the first boxer in the history of the sport to be a unified champion in 2 weight divisions if he is victorious against Marlon Tapales. After this, it might be 3 unified championships if he again moves up to featherweight. Who are the big names there? I reckon all of the featherweight champions can be beaten by Inoue.

There's no Featherweight champion that can match Inoue's power there's this thing circulating in social media on Fan Page boxing page, that matches Inoue to Tank Davis, only 13 lbs set them apart, they have the same reach and they have the same height, they can go for it in a catchweight, it will be a huge attraction both fighters have speed, power, skill, and charisma, I'm sure some promoters are thinking to match these two great warriors in the ring.

Definitely, this will attract a lot of fans, but I doubt Bob would risk Inoue for Davis because he could possibly experience his first loss. There are still more fights that Inoue could dominate, so why risk it for Davis when there's a chance he will lose his popularity after a loss?

Maybe he will start by unifying the belts with Tapales, and let's see what his decision will be next.

[Yamifoud]

Maybe he will start by unifying the belts with Tapales, and let's see what his decision will be next.

That's his next goal and once he achieve that, for sure he will not stay, instead he will choose to move up and challenge the champion in the next division. Inoue is currently in his prime, it would be an honor to his country if he will break or at least tie with Pacman to be an 8th division champion. Inoue is a very discipline fighter, he loves to win so I have no doubt he will achieve the highest success.

As per ranking, he is currently at the number 2, but soon he will be at the top since he started from the very low weight class and slowly climbing up.

[Yaunfitda]

@Kelvinid. Those are very accurate odds after the performance we have witnessed from Inoue against Fulton, I reckon. I have become convinced on the Japanese fighter. Inoue is like the young Pacman but with more knockout power in his hands.

I agree, he might not reach 8 division title as Pacman, but the way he is destroying everything that in his path, it's like Pacman when he was in the beginning of his career specially at lower weights. And Inoue can make another history, for Japan and then having won the unified title in bantamweight and super bantamweight in the 4 belt era.

However, he will be the first boxer in the history of the sport to be a unified champion in 2 weight divisions if he is victorious against Marlon Tapales. After this, it might be 3 unified championships if he again moves up to featherweight. Who are the big names there? I reckon all of the featherweight champions can be beaten by Inoue.

Yes, he could be the first one to be a unified champion in 2 weight division and that could be big. However, if he keeps fighting in Japan, he might not get the recognition although he could be the 1 p4p boxer with that great win against Fulton.

On Inoue not being very known to make an argument to bring him to Las Vegas, the promoters can make him the undercard for an event of Canelo or another very famous boxer.

His camp knows that US is the venue to make an argument for him to be one of the best in this generation and could be the next cash cow. So he should go and fight in the US next against Tapales. Or if he wants to conquer 126 lbs and higher, most of the boxers are stateside.

[robelneo]

.... but I doubt Bob would risk Inoue for Davis because he could possibly experience his first loss. There are still more fights that Inoue could dominate, so why risk it for Davis when there's a chance he will lose his popularity after a loss?

Maybe he will start by unifying the belts with Tapales, and let's see what his decision will be next.

But Davis could also possibly experience his first loss also, we cannot say that one fighter has an edge over the other fighter, remember we never imagine that Pacquiao will be facing and beating top fighters in the higher division.

At this point in time, Inoue has proven himself and keeps proven himself so unless we see something flaw in Inoue like he cannot keep his power in the higher division, I still consider Inoue the next Pacquiao and on his way to winning more titles and unifying divisions, Inoue's train is moving and it's moving fast.

[danherbias07]

A bit shocked when I saw Tank Davis being competed now against Naoya Inoue. The dude just won in his new weight class but Davis is still too far, I doubt he will be fast enough to go on the weight class of Davis.

I've got a question before this fight happens and if ever Inoue wins it.
Do you think it's unfair that he could get all four major organization belts in just 2 fights in the Super Bantamweight? I mean, he could just leave those four belts again after he beat Marlon Tapales (if ever) and then he climbs up to the next weight class. It won't give the other boxers a chance like the number 2 or number 3 to try and get a shot and challenge Inoue. I respect the no rematch clause but what if the boxers lower than them could actually be the weakness of Inoue?
Marlon Tapales did beat Murodjon Akhmadaliev in an upset, Tapales was a heavy underdog in that match and yet he snatch both belts against the popular champion. All I am saying is, anything is possible.

[Vaculin]

Well, Tapales has the chance, but I doubt he will be able to dethrone Inoue. Regardless, however, this is the fight of his life. This is already a huge achievement for him. To be given the chance to face Naoya and, more importantly, to become the unified champion, is a big opportunity he couldn't afford to miss. He should be giving his all not just during the fight but even during the training. Defeating Naoya and unifying the belts mean a lot.

Agree, this is a tough one for our compatriot but the fight itself is already a win for Tapales as seldom a Filipino boxer will be on this kind of stage, biggest fight of his life and for sure the biggest payday as of date. The good thing about Filipino boxers when up against the world and nobody expected him to win, it will give them the motivation and often they rise to the occasion and shock the whole world when the final bell rung.

Well, we can only hope so.

Yeah, I agree that we seem to take motivation from being the underdog and when nobody is expecting anything from us. It's like a huge amount of baggage is taken off if we have nothing to lose or if we're going against the world.

Anyway, it's probably expected that this fight will be held in Japan. Naoya very seldom fights outside of his home country. But Tapales isn't a stranger to fighting in Japan and against Japanese fighters. If I'm not mistaken, Naoya is his 5^th Japanese opponent and this is also his 5^th time fighting there. So it's probably not a huge factor for him to once again fight against a Japanese opponent in his home court.

And just like how Tapales beat Akhmadaliev in his own game, maybe there will be a small chance for Tapales to upset the Japanese. It's going to be a long shot, but who knows, when we least expected that someone is going to lose in a fight, suddenly, he doesn't have any pressure on his side and just play and fight as if nothing to lose.

I agree that it will definitely be in Japan again, but being Asian, I think Tapales will have no problem in Japan. And as you have said, he is used to fighting in their backyard so it will not be a disadvantage for him.

Yup, it's not right to underestimate the Filipino boxer here because he too have something that the other boxers doesn't have as he is now the new 2-belt champion at 122. It wasn't that easy either to fight and upset Akhmadaliev, but he did it. So let's just wait and see how would he perform against the one and only Naoya Inoue, we sure never know what's coming as the most underestimated ones tend to have more chances in the actual fight.

[Yogee]

.... but I doubt Bob would risk Inoue for Davis because he could possibly experience his first loss.

But Davis could also possibly experience his first loss also,

The point here is it's too early for these two undefeated fighters to face each other. Let's be reminded that the boxing scene today has shifted and the business side has now prevailed. Promoters like Bob Arum would most likely drag this out until all options are exhausted before they start negotiation.

[Eureka_07]

This battle between an aggressor and a counter-puncher is expected to be a captivating spectacle, as both fighters showcase their exceptional skills. It will undoubtedly be worth watching, and personally, I will be rooting for Inoue in this fight, perhaps even considering placing a bet on his victory. What do you think: will this match result in a knockout or a unanimous decision?

[Baofeng]

This fight is already expected, so hats off to both fighters, especially to the IBF and WBA champion Marlon Tapales for having the guts to do the undisputed unification duel right away. I hope this fight happens in the US but considering Inoue's demand in Japan which is the world's 3rd biggest economy after the US and China, it is most likely that Inoue stays at home for a while.

Most likely it will be in Japan, as you have said, there is demand and just like the Filipinos, there are a lot of Japanese boxers now we is now making their names. So it's going to be a big boost for them to be in the undercard of every Inoue fight in Japan.

Since last night I've been talking to some of my boxing friends and all of us are having difficulty imagining how Tapales overcomes Inoue. Inoue will be faster and carries the bigger punch. Tapales is not a KO artist and is not known as slick or faster than Fulton. Tapales had been down several times in his pro career which means he is really beatable. Still, I believe Tapales has underrated power punches. Tapales is actually 9 wins, 1 defeat (by TKO) with 8 KOs starting from his first world title fight at the bantamweight division. Tapales also has a big heart and experience being a 2 division world champion too. So Inoue cannot take him lightly, especially from Tapales' counters.

It's going to be the pride of the Philippines that he will carry here. I do hope that Tapales is inspired by the recent successes of the Filipinos around the world. So it's hard to underestimate this kind of fighter. Having the heart to carry the flag of his country on his shoulder and then conquering what seems to be a overwhelming odds against a very good boxer in Inoue. Win or lose though, I'm going to support our countryman here. 

[arwin100]

This battle between an aggressor and a counter-puncher is expected to be a captivating spectacle, as both fighters showcase their exceptional skills. It will undoubtedly be worth watching, and personally, I will be rooting for Inoue in this fight, perhaps even considering placing a bet on his victory. What do you think: will this match result in a knockout or a unanimous decision?

Hard to tell either it will be a technical knockout or via decision but if we look at the past fights made by Inoue then provably it will be a K.O victory as he is always looking for spectacular win on every fight he made. But we shouldn't downplay Tapales capability since he still a champion and anything could go wrong if the phase will not favor to that Japanese fighter and there's still huge chance for him to win against Inoue. For sure this is a tough match but everything could be handle by extensive training and proper strategy on how his opponent fight.