He is a maker of history and a taker of souls. Can anyone stop the monster?
This article originally appeared on Substack by Steve Wellings.
It seemed more Halloween than Christmas in Tokyo when Naoya Inoue put on a terrifyingly good display against Marlon Tapales. ‘The Monster’ has become a minor cult hero and one of the best in the sport. Tapales was knocked down in the fourth and finished in the tenth round.
Weaving in and out of range, landing shots through high guard, unleashing a sizzling jab and ferocious combinations, Inoue is a fine specimen at the peak of his powers. Like any pound-for-pound prodigy, enjoy it while it’s around.
Tapales’ initial conservatism meant Inoue was forced to run through the goal to find space. That said, the Filipino left-hander enjoyed fleeting moments of success. Encouraged by any exploitation of an opening, the ubiquitous handler of Asian talent, Sean Gibbons, repeatedly shouted from the ring that Inoue was uncomfortable with his body shots.
No one likes taking those hits, but Inoue certainly loved dishing out attacks to the torso. Using his own intelligence to create moments of success, Tapales enjoyed a stronger seventh round. Leaning out of reach, his shoulder jutting forward, Marlon made Inoue’s right hand fall short.
The lead right hook also worked well for Tapales. Until Inoue made his own stylistic adjustments by launching an underhand shot while Marlon leaned to the side. He displayed a boxing brain to match brilliant muscular strength.
Consecutive undisputed efforts, dominating high-quality opponents, it seems that size alone will be enough to derail the Kanagawa bullet train. After eliminating 122, many expected Inoue to quickly exit the division.
Not so. According to the man himself in a post-fight explanation, the featherweight will have to wait. Inoue revealed through an interpreter that he will continue to campaign at super bantamweight, and negotiations are in the works with an opponent for May 2024.
That opponent is expected to be the exciting Mexican Luis Nery, a former PED cheater and weight captain, somewhat rehabilitated since his 2023 fight against Azat Hovhannisyan.
126 is in some change since Rafael Espinoza surprised Robeisy Ramírez of Cuba. Brandon Figueroa is a staunch PBC worker. Emanuel Navarrete was promoted and Luis Alberto López is expected to do the same. Inoue is happy to sit back and let them fend for themselves.
After creating such a standard, it is now considered routine to lift weights and hit opponents. Therefore, Inoue has higher degrees of merit than most of his contemporaries. Don’t let his excellence fool you: this is a serious talent accomplishing outstanding feats.
As for Marlon Tapales, he leaves without disgrace. Tapales’ performance was better than the heralded American Stephen Fulton, who meekly retired in July. Tapales previously showed skill and discipline against MJ Akhmadaliev and the ability to dodge big hits while making his own punches pay off. Once he gained momentum against MJ, the experienced Tapales became difficult to get out of his rhythm.
Inoue never allowed the Filipino to get into that same situation. The Japanese star took the man he had lost three times before to a place he hoped to forget. Inoue improved his record to 26-0 (23 KOs) and now holds the WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF super bantamweight belts. Tapales falls to 37-4 (19 KOs).
Media credits: Boxing Asylum, Japan News.
