Naoya Inoue makes history after beating Marlon Tapales in 10 rounds

Just a year after becoming the first four-belt, undisputed champion in bantamweight history, pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue joined even more exclusive company within the sport by matching Terence Crawford as the only boxer to achieve such a distinction in a second weight class.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) secured a 10th-round knockout on Tuesday morning against unified titleholder Marlon Tapales (37-4, 19 KOs) in another remarkable demonstration of his growing legendary status at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

The Japanese "Monster," already a four-division champion, brought together all four titles at 122 pounds in a fight that proved more competitive than many had predicted, owing to the resilience and adaptability of the Filipino southpaw.

"First and foremost, I would like to give a big shout-out to Marlon Tapales for taking the fight with me," Inoue said, through a translator. "I think super bantamweight is my division for now so in 2024, my goal is to show myself at super bantamweight in an even finer form."

Whether Inoue managed to reclaim his position as the P4P king after Crawford's July triumph over fellow unified welterweight king Errol Spence Jr. is yet to be determined. However, Inoue probably outshone Crawford in the Boxer of the Year voting.

This came five months after his dominant victory over the unbeaten Stephen Fulton Jr. through an eighth-round TKO, showcasing a one-sided dismantling to make his mark at junior featherweight.

"I am so relieved at the moment because I became victorious against such a strong and spirited opponent in Marlon Tapales," Inoue said. "Thank you so much for fighting me and I'm so happy to get the stoppage in such a decisive manner."

The 31-year-old Tapales displayed impressive resilience and a clever fighting style, forcing Inoue to work hard for his victory. He effectively reduced Inoue's output in the middle rounds through well-timed counter shots. However, in terms of statistics, he was clearly at a disadvantage.

According to CompuBox, Inoue landed almost three times the number of punches compared to Tapales – 146 to 52. Remarkably, Inoue connected with 43% of his power shots and dominated in body shots, outstripping Tapales 39 to 17.

The 30-year-old swiftly gained a significant advantage in the initial three rounds, surpassing Tapales in power shots by a considerable margin of 24 to 5. Tapales faced more challenges in Round 4, enduring a significant left hook that staggered him, followed by a series of combinations from Inoue that eventually knocked him down late in the round. However, Tapales managed to beat the count.

Tapales, who caused a major upset by defeating the unbeaten Murodjon Akhmadaliev via split decision in April to secure the IBF and WBA titles, clenched his mouthguard as the two exchanged punches at close range in an exhilarating Round 5, despite Inoue landing nearly three times as many punches as Tapales.

Displaying shrewd tactics, Tapales applied intelligent pressure and introduced a shoulder roll, compelling Inoue to make adjustments as the contest intensified in the latter half. However, Inoue's exceptional precision eventually overwhelmed Tapales when a well-executed right cross breached Tapales's defense in Round 10, resulting in a delayed knockdown.

Referee Celestino Ruiz halted the fight at 1:02 of the round as Tapales couldn't rise to his feet in time.

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