By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Naoya Inoue is just a different breed.
In another episode of “Stalking The Monster”, the Japanese superstar just proved why he earned that moniker after pulling off a masterclass display against Filipino pug Marlon Tapales during their super bantamweight unification bout last December 26, 2023, held at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Inoue handled his business with class once again and knocked out Tapales in the 10th round with a devastating right straight that landed on the Filipino’s head.
With 2:19 left in the 10th, Inoue first set up his blows with a barrage of punches before unleashing the right straight that ended Tapales’ brave attempt of tainting the Japanese’s professional boxing record.
From the get-go, Inoue immediately had the ring control advantage after setting traps to the conservative Tapales.
Every time Tapales closed the distance and put his lead foot beside Inoue’s right foot, the Japanese was wise to counter quickly with his right hook that worked like magic.
For nine straight rounds, Inoue dictated the pace and was busier with his volume of punches compared to Tapales who was sticking to his jabs and one-punch efficiency.
However, Tapales had his moments when he went to Inoue’s body and shifted strategy when his coaching staff ordered him to let his hands loose.
That tactic proved to be effective as Tapales was able to see Inoue’s attacks and defended well without getting hit.
In the fourth, Inoue scored the first knockdown of the match after tagging Tapales with a sweet left hook in the ropes.
Tapales was able to survive for five more rounds before Inoue capped off the night in the 10th round to seize all super bantamweight belts in the WBA, IBF, WBC, and WBO organizations.
With the huge win, Inoue remained undefeated in the sport, carrying an impressive 26 wins, 23 knockouts record while Tapales fell to 37 wins, 19 knockouts, and four defeats.
