“2X Undisputed”: Fans Jump In With Predictions as Naoya Inoue Comes Face to Face With Marlon Tapales Ahead of Fight on December 26

Another 24 hours, and ‘The Monster’ will reappear at the multi-sport Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Five months ago, moving up a division, Naoya Inoue destroyed the much-regarded Stephen Fulton to become the WBC and WBO super bantamweight champion. Now he will take on WBA (Super) and IBF title holder Marlon Tapales from the Philippines.

A victory will make him only the second boxer in history, after Terence Crawford, to become a two-division undisputed champion among men. No wonder fans and followers are agog with what ‘The Monster’ is going to do to the Filipino champion. Most might have already made up their minds. The two met for a final face-off before their battle. A short clip shows them shaking hands following a quick stare, while a pose of officials surrounds them.

A clean sweep for Naoya Inoue

Such is the reputation the 30-year-old Inoue enjoys. With a beastly 88% knockout-to-win rate, the Kanagawa Prefecture-born boxer currently stands in second place in the current pound-for-pound rankings.

To this fan, the fight is a piece of cake for the Japanese champion.

This fan straightaway called Naoya Inoue a two-time undisputed champion.

The following fan thanked heaven for the Inoue-Tapales fight. He appears to be looking forward to it, especially after what he considered a dreary event in Saudi Arabia.

While this follower also mentioned that Naoya Inoue would be breathing through the bout.

The following fan sounded skeptical and mentioned that the Inoue-Tapales fight would go the whole distance.

Quite a few of those who commented seemed surprised and asked for details regarding the fight. Most people, understandably, don’t expect Marlon Tapales to pull off an upset. But given his experience, there’s a high chance of him taking the Japanese boxer the whole distance.

A walk through ‘The Monster’s Road to an Undisputed Championship

Last year, on June 7, after retaining his WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight belts for the third time, Naoya Inoue fought for the Filipino Nonito Donaire WBC title. ‘The Monster’ had already snatched the WBA (Super) belt from Donaire back in 2019, when they met for the first time. The rematch barely crossed the second round as Inoue pummeled the latter with a flurry of punches. The victory made him the first Japanese boxer in boxing history to hold three belts.

With the goal of becoming an undisputed champion, Naoya Inoue then met Paul Butler six months later for his WBO belt. Though the fight went till the eleventh round, Inoue’s body shots finally found their mark, forcing the English boxer to submit. The victory made Inoue the first Asian professional boxer to become an undisputed champion. Early this year, he vacated all four belts as he jumped over to the super bantamweight division.

Read More: “King of Boxing”: Fans in Frenzy as Naoya Inoue Shows Ripped Physique Ahead of Fight Against Marlon Tapales

Do you think it will be a walkover for Inoue, as it happened in previous instances? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Who is Marlon Tapales, Naoya Inoue’s next opponent for December 26?