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Philippines, 22 Feb 2026 |
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NAOYA INOUE KNOCKS OUT STRONG MARLON TAPALES, BECOMES UNDISPUTED AGAIN By Carlos Costa PhilBoxing.com Wed, 27 Dec 2023  With superior boxing skills, speed and power, sensational Naoya Inoue of Yokohama, Japan, battered, dropped and stopped in 10 frames strong Filipino warrior Marlon Tapales to conquer the UNDISPUTED Super Bantamweight World Title tonight, Dec 26, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo Japan. From the getgo, the 30-year-old Inoue – arguably the top P4P boxer in the world – took command of the battle, repeatedly landing on the Pinoy fighter, reducing him as rounds went by. Tapales seemed eager to fight, although confused and clueless on how to initiate meaningful attacks that could hurt the “Monster.” By the 4th, Tapales had already absorbed enough hard blows from the Japanese, that he fell to the canvas for the first time nearly the end of the round. The Mindanao lion-hearted warrior came back up on his feet, going on to fight the far superior Inoue till the fateful 10th.  Marlon Tapales (R) has his moments in the fight against Naoya Inoue, this time connecting with a right to the head of the Japanese 'monster'. In that round, two hard-thrown right straights were the crucial, final blows that ended Tapales, rocking him backwards to the ropes and on to the Ariane Arena canvas from were the Lanao del Norte fighter was this time unable to come back up, prompting Puerto Rican third man Celestino Ruiz to wave the fight off. Thankfully, despite receiving a rather large amount of blows to his head and body, the strong and courageous Tapales recovered fast, looking fine, congratulating Inoue in fine sportsmanship manner. During the post-fight interview, Inoue assured fans that he will stay in bantamweights, not going anywhere, looking to fight the best of the best 122-pounders who are willing to get in the ring with him.  Naoya Inoue connects with a left jab at Marlon Tapales. Among the fans favorites to challenge “the new” undisputed king, are former champions Mexican Luis “Pantera” Nery, Uzkek Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and Filipino John Riel “Quadro Alas” Casimero. Nery and Murodjon Akhmadaliev seem to be the front runners to challenge Naoya due to excellent wins in their latest fights. The popular Casimero has been winning fights too, although not looking particularly devastating. He is still a good option. Naoya Inoue also expressed his respect for Tapales’s efforts recognizing his strength and fighting spirit, revealing that his future challenger – Nery, Akhmadaliev or whoever – will be announced by his promoters once ongoing negotiations are concluded.  Naoya Inoue collects all the belts in the bantamweight division. At the end , this KO ARTIST Naoya Inoue said thanks to all his fans ,wishing them a Happy New Year. Is Naoya Inoue the real # 1 P4P boxer on Earth? The # 1 even above other riveting undefeated fighters such as Terrence Crawford, Tyson Fury, and Oleksandr Uskyk? A number of fans say “yes,” while others say “it’s Crawford.” Good conversation topic, right? Fantastic win for Naoya Inoue; while brave Tapales can be proud of his effort, proving once again his warrior-heart, his honor as a Filipino boxer and his commendable fighting spirit. The author Carlos Costa is from Panama, living king time in Cebu. Carlos can be reached at carlos@philboxing.con and +639184538152. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.  |
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