Naoya Inoue will be looking to end 2023 in style when he takes on Marlon Tapares in Tokyo on Tuesday to become the absolute super bantamweight champion for the second time in his career.
Inoue dominated Stephen Fulton, stopping him in the eighth round, giving him the WBC and WBO titles he won in one of the best performances of the year. The fight against Fulton will be Inoue’s first fight in the division, having moved up a weight class after a stoppage victory over Paul Butler in December 2022 that secured Inoue the undisputed WBO bantamweight title at 118 pounds. Ta.
This was the sixth fight of Inoue’s professional career, having not fought in a non-title fight since defeating Adrian Hernandez in April 2014 to win the WBC junior flyweight title. Since then, he has continued to move up the ranks, moving from 108 pounds to 122 pounds with incredible power and 22 knockouts in a 25-0, undefeated career.
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Tapares is no stranger to big fights and is coming off an upset victory over Murodjon Akhmadaliev in April to capture the IBF and WBA world titles. The win was somewhat controversial, as one of the three scorecards submitted was 118-110 in favor of Akhmadaliev, and Akhmadaliev may have been more deserving of the win. Ta.
This will be Tapares’ second attempt as a world champion, having defeated Shohei Omori in 2017 to win the WBO bantamweight title. He had wandered between weight classes since his first title win until securing the match with Akhmadaliev.
After Inoue’s victory over Fulton, it was clear that this was the next fight when Tapares entered the ring for a respectful showdown with the Japanese superstar.
“I think Naoya is a great, skilled and intelligent boxer,” Tapares said in an interview with BoxingScene. “But I know that all the hard work I put in during training camps in Las Vegas and the Philippines will prepare me for this moment.
“I’m well aware that I’m not the favorite according to the oddsmakers, but I don’t care about that. The result will probably be different than what the oddsmakers think.”
Before we get into the main event predictions and expert picks, let’s take a look at the rest of the undercard card with the latest odds.
Inoue vs. Tapales match card, odds
Naoya Inoue (c) -1400 | Marlon Tapares (c) +800 | Undisputed super bantamweight title |
Seiya Tsutsumi | Kazuki Anaguchi | bantamweight |
Saka interlude dream | john paul gavuniras | flyweight |
Yoshiki Takei | Mario Diaz Maldonado | super bantamweight |
Browsing information
- date: December 26th
- position: Ariake Arena — Tokyo
- Starting time: 3:00 a.m. ET (main event at approximately 6:00 a.m. ET)
- How to watch: ESPN+
prediction
Tapares as a +800 underdog is not an actual comment by the oddsmakers, it’s not about his qualities as a fighter, it’s about the world of Inoue, who is arguably one of the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. He is commenting on his unusual skills. The ease with which Inoue handled Fulton in what was supposed to be a very tough test is a reminder of just how special Inoue is, with his underrated technical proficiency combined with incredible speed and destructive power. It reminded me.
Tapares has been dropped and stopped before, most recently by Ryosuke Iwasa, who is a solid fighter but doesn’t have the shocking power that Inoue brings. Tapares will be a match and will no doubt give his best, but unless Inoue has the worst night of his life, it’s hard to imagine there’s a real path to victory. The real question is whether Tapares can pull off a moral victory by going the full 12 rounds without being stopped. That’s unlikely. Designated player: Naoya Inoue (6 wins by TKO)