This year has been full of big matchups like Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. & Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia. Still, it isn’t over yet, as we have an undisputed junior featherweight title fight a day after Christmas. WBC & WBO champion Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) looks to continue his historic run as he faces WBA & IBF champion Marlon Tapales (37-3, 19 KOs). Who will finish this year as the undisputed junior featherweight champion?
Inoue’s last appearance was impressive as he dismantled former unified champion Stephen Fulton Jr. The fight wasn’t close, and Inoue used his destructive power to stop Fulton in the eighth round of their fight. He immediately pointed at Tapales as his next opponent after the fight, and all parties involved made it happen. Will Inoue become a two-division undisputed champion within 18 months?
#Inoue_Tapales#12月26日#四団体王座統一戦#Lemino pic.twitter.com/pBMk6lqDj2
— 井上尚弥 Naoya Inoue (@naoyainoue_410) December 18, 2023
Tapales is coming into this one as a huge betting underdog, but the 31-year-old southpaw beat Murodjon Akhmadaliev by a close split decision in April and possesses the skills to give a high-caliber fighter like Inoue some issues. Will it be enough, or is Inoue the generational talent he has been pegged from the start?
NAOYA INOUE VS. MARLON TAPALES BETTING ODDS
Per BetOnline.ag, Naoya Inoue is the favorite at -2000 (Over 7 ½ rounds +100), and Marlon Tapales is the underdog at +1000 (Under 7 ½ rounds -130).
NAOYA INOUE VS. MARLON TAPALES DATE, START TIME
- Date: Tuesday, December 26
- Start time: 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 6:00 a.m. ET / 3:00 a.m. PT
These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.
There can only be one... 👑#InoueTapales | DEC 26 | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/5KTPX5Th5T
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) December 18, 2023
WHAT CHANNEL/STREAM NAOYA INOUE VS. MARLON TAPALES?
- U.S.: ESPN+
- UK: Sky Sports
NAOYA INOUE VS. MARLON TAPALES FIGHT CARD
- Naoya Inoue vs. Marlon Tapales; For the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF world super bantamweight titles
- Seiya Tsutsumi vs. Kazuki Anaguchi; bantamweight
- Kanamu Sakama vs. John Paul Gabunilas; flyweight
- Yoshiki Takei vs. Mario Diaz Maldonado; super bantamweight
- Andy Hiraoka vs. Sebastian Diaz Maldonado; super lightweight
- Suguru Ishikawa vs. Fuga Uematsu; featherweight
- Rikiya Sato vs. Keisuke Endo; super featherweight
