Top Rank presents a battle for undisputed super bantamweight supremacy when Japanese WBC/WBO world champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue and Filipino WBA/IBF champion Marlon Tapales go head to head in a super bantamweight bout for all the belts.
Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) is widely regarded as one of the top pound for pound boxers in the world today and he is on the short list of knockout artists with an exciting fighting style.
The Japanese superstar is already the undisputed world champion at bantamweight, but now he goes to the 122-pound division to clear house and he aims to become a two-division undisputed king in the four belt era.
This win will also make him the greatest Japanese boxer in history and put him side by side with the great eight division world champion of the Philippines Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao as greatest Asian fighter of all time.
Tapales (37-3, 19 KOs), a heavy underdog traveling to Japan to take on Inoue for the crown is a very rugged southpaw. He won the WBO bantamweight world title in 2016 and then moved up to 122-pounds to campaign at the super bantamweight division. He is 4-0 since a TKO loss to Ryosuke Iwasa in December 2019. Tapales had a massive upset victory last April when he won a split decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev for the WBA and IBF world titles, that win landed him the opportunity to fight Inoue for undisputed status.
Fight Card
Super Bantamweight Championship – Naoya Inoue vs. Marlon Tapales (IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO Titles)
Bantamweight – Seiya Tsutsumi vs. Kazuki Anaguchi
Light Welterweight – Andy Hiraoka vs. Sebastian Diaz Maldonado
Super Bantamweight – Yoshiki Takei vs. Mario Diaz Maldonado
Flyweight – Kanamu Sakama vs. John Paul Gabunilas
Featherweight – Suguru Ishikawa vs. Fuga Uematsu
Super Featherweight – Rikiya Sato vs. Keisuke Endo
Watch Top Rank Boxing Presents: Naoya Inoue vs. Marlon Tapales undisputed super bantamweight championship live on Tuesday, December 26, 2023, at 3:00 a.m. ET/12:00 a.m. PT, exclusively live streamed in the USA on ESPN+. To Subscribe Visit: ESPNPlus.com/Top Rank
