Naoya Inoue vs Marlon Tapales Announced for December 26 in Tokyo
The Undisputed Super Bantamweight Championship bout is set for Boxing Day 2023 in Tokyo, Japan.
Top Rank Boxing announced that Naoya Inoue and Marlon Tapales, who both hold two belts in 126 lbs division, will clash on December 26, 2023, to headline a boxing event at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Inoue, already a 4-division world champion, currently holds WBC & WBO Super Bantamweight Championship. He won those titles from Stephen Fulton on July 25 this year via an eighth-round TKO win.
ππππππππππ πππππ@NaoyaInoue_410 & Marlon Tapales will collide for the Junior Featherweight crown π#InoueTapales | TUE DEC 26 | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/kS3ZIzOWR8
β Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 25, 2023
After the bout, Inoue called upon Tapales, who was in attendance, for undisputed title fight. Tapales won WBA(super) & IBF Super Bantamweight title in April this year by beating Murodjon Akhmadaliev via split decision.
If Inoue wins, he will become an undisputed champion in two different weight classes. He will become the second male boxer to get that status after Terence Crawford. Inoue was earlier the undisputed champion in bantamweight division, a status he achieved by beating Paul Butler on December 13, 2022. His overall boxing record stands at 25-0 with 22 of his wins coming via knockout.
Tapales previously held WBO Bantamweight title from 2016 to 2017. He was stripped off the titles after missing weight in his first title defense. His overall boxing record stands at 37-3, with 19 knockouts.
No other bouts are made official for the undercard of the event. Keep tuned in for updates from the show.
