Naoya Inoue will be looking to close out 2023 in style as he attempts to become undisputed champion for the second time in his career, this time at super bantamweight when he meets Marlon Tapales in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Inoue will take the WBC and WBO titles, which he won in one of the best performances of the year, dominating Stephen Fulton before scoring an eighth-round stoppage. The Fulton fight was Inoue's first fight at this weight after moving up following a stoppage win in December 2022 over Paul Butler that secured Inoue the WBO bantamweight title and remained undisputed at 118 pounds.
Inoue has not fought a non-title fight since defeating Adrian Hernandez to win the WBC junior flyweight title in April 2014, the sixth fight of Inoue's professional career. Since then, he has continued to move up the weight classes, taking his shocking strength from 108 pounds to 122 pounds, scoring 22 knockouts during his undefeated 25-0 career.
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No stranger to big fights, Tapales scored a surprise victory over Murodjon Akhmadaliev in April to win the IBF and WBA world titles. This victory was not without controversy, as one of the three scorecards submitted read 118-110 in favor of Akhmadaliev, who might have been more deserving of the win.
This is the second run as world champion of Tapales' career, having defeated Shohei Omori to win the WBO bantamweight title in 2017. Since winning his first title, he bounced between weight classes before securing the fight with Akhmadaliev.
After Inoue's victory over Fulton, it was clear that this would be the next fight as Tapales entered the ring for a respectful duel with the Japanese superstar.
“I think Naoya is a great, talented and intelligent boxer,” Tapales said in an interview with BoxingScene. “But I know that the hard work I put in during training camp in Las Vegas and the Philippines will make me ready for this moment.”
“I am fully aware that I am not the favorite according to the oddsmakers. But I don’t care, the result will be different than they think.”
The undercard features more matchups in the lower weight classes. Seiya Tsutsumi will face Kazuki Anaughci in the bantamweight division. Flyweights Kanamu Sakama and John Paul Gabunilas will also compete on the main card. Additionally, Yoshiki Takei will face Super Bantamweight Mario Diaz Maldonado in a special bout.
Let's take a look at the rest of the undercard with the latest odds before moving on to a prediction and expert recommendation for the main event.
Inoue vs. Tapales fight card, odds
| Naoya Inoue (c) -2800 | Marlon Tapales (c) +1250 | Undisputed super bantamweight title |
| Seiya Tsutsumi | Kazuki Anaguchi | Bantamweight |
| Kanamu Sakama | John Paul Gabunilas | Flyweight |
| Yoshiki Takei | Mario Diaz Maldonado | Super bantamweight |
View information
- Date: Dec 26
- Location: Ariake Arena – Tokyo
- Start time: 3 p.m. ET (main event around 6 p.m. ET)
- How to watch: ESPN+
forecast
Tapales as a +800 underdog isn't really a comment from the oddsmakers on his quality as a fighter, but rather on the preternatural abilities of Inoue, who is undoubtedly one of the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. The ease with which Inoue handled Fulton, who should have been a very tough test, was another reminder of how special Inoue is, with blazing speed and overwhelming power coupled with underrated technical ability.
Tapales has been dropped and stopped before, most recently by Ryosuke Iwasa, a solid fighter but without the shocking power that Inoue brings. Tapales will be tough and will certainly do his best, but it's hard to imagine there being any real path to victory unless Inoue has the worst night of his life. The real question is whether Tapales can achieve the moral victory of lasting twelve full rounds without stopping. That seems unlikely. Selection: Naoya Inoue via TKO6