| |
|
The Master: Naoya Inoue Stops Marlon Tapales to Become Undisputed Junior Featherweight World Champion
PhilBoxing.com Wed, 27 Dec 2023

TOKYO, Japan (Dec. 26, 2023) — WBC/WBO junior featherweight world champion Naoya "The Monster" Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) made history again.
The Japanese pound-for-pound superstar knocked out Filipino IBF/WBA champion Marlon Tapales in round 10 to capture the undisputed junior featherweight championship Tuesday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
With the victory, Inoue joins Terence Crawford as the only male two-weight undisputed champions in the four-belt era. A four-weight world champion, Inoue is 21-0 with 19 knockouts in title fights and has knocked out his last seven foes.
Tapales (37-4, 19 KOs), a two-weight world champion, saw his four-fight winning streak end.
Inoue said, “I am so happy that I got the knockout in such a decisive manner.
“He never showed me fatigue or damage from his face, so I was quite surprised when he went down in the 10th round.
“It was one of the most intense fights I’ve ever had, probably, but my corner cheered me up and kept me focused throughout the bout.”
Tapales, who won the unified world championship earlier this year, came out as the aggressor and attempted to slow Inoue down with a concerted body attack. Inoue responded with savage body blows, sweeping the early rounds on the scorecards. Late in the fourth, a series of left hooks dropped Tapales, who rose just before the bell sounded to end the round.
Tapales found his rhythm in the middle rounds, backing Inoue up and ripping body shots in the seventh and eighth. "The Monster" found his stride in the ninth and finished off Tapales in the 10th with a right hand that put him down for the count. The pound-for-pound king, who started his career at 108 pounds, added two more belts to his massive collection.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Vayson vies for WBA/WBO titles By Joaquin Henson, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Mexican "The Rock" Zamora, three-time female world champion with 20 world championship fights, retires By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025“I’M ONLY GETTING BETTER”: CONFIDENT PAT McCORMACK PLOTS HUGE HOMECOMING WIN OVER MIGUEL PARRA TO SPARK WORLD TITLE CHARGE , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Heart of a Lion: 'Lucky Boy' Reymark Alicaba Earns Praise Despite Loss by Points in Thailand By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Dante Kirkman Looks to be the First Fighter to Stop Dylan Carlson , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Shawn Darling Inducted into New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Arca wins 13th Mindanao Open chessfest By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Carzano rules FIDE-Rated Open Rapid Chess Tournament By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Pythons-Primo wins 5 golds, 3 silvers, 2 bronzes in Kadayawan judo By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Crawford to Be Stripped of WBA Title Once He Climb the Ring to Fight Canelo By Dong Secuya, , Wed, 27 Aug 2025Sebastian Juarez Remains Undefeated with Captivating 4th Round TKO Over Louis Hernandez , Wed, 27 Aug 2025Jajaira Gonzalez Prepared to Meet the Moment at 2025 World Boxing Championships , Wed, 27 Aug 20252 Division & Former Unified World Champion Juan Francisco Estrada Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas , Wed, 27 Aug 2025THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 25 AUGUST 2025 By Eric Armit, , Tue, 26 Aug 2025Magpily rules PH National Women's Elimination - Luzon Leg By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 26 Aug 2025Carlos De Leon Shines with 2nd Round TKO, Remains Undefeated on MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 14 , Tue, 26 Aug 2025GM Daniel Quizon Wins 4th Edition Eduardo B. Basilonia Touchmove Open Invitational Rapid Chess Tournament; pockets P100,000 By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 26 Aug 2025Good Luck, Lucky Boy Reymark Alicaba! By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 25 Aug 2025Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Released By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Mon, 25 Aug 2025Mapua EE wins Bowling B Championship, IM Datu leads Mapua Chess By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 25 Aug 2025ALOYSIUS YAPP CLAIMS LONG-AWAITED US OPEN CROWN , Sun, 24 Aug 2025Don King Productions Moving Forward With October 4th WBA World Heavyweight Showdown , Sun, 24 Aug 2025Controversial Judges from Pacquiao-Barrios Fight Tapped for Canelo-Crawford Showdown By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 23 Aug 2025Levinson’s Gift: Runyon’s quiet revelation, Lawton’s last battle, and the first Filipino boxer By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Sat, 23 Aug 2025Rodrigo to challenge undefeated Sandoval in US By Lito delos Reyes, , Sat, 23 Aug 2025 |

|
|
|
|
|