TOKYO – Marlon Tapales of the Philippines got it right when he said during Sunday’s press conference that the fight won’t last the distance.
But it was Naoya Inoue of Japan, known as “The Monster,” who remained standing in the end in their super-bantamweight unification fight at the packed Ariake Arena.
Inoue, the overwhelming favorite, needed a couple of rounds to size up Tapales. But once he did, it was pretty evident who the better fighter was on this very cold evening here.
“Hindi man ako pinalad, ginawa ko lahat,” said Tapales during the post-fight press conference.
“Magaling si Inoue tsaka mabilis. Mabilis talaga so hindi ko masabayan. I did my best to perform in the ring,“ added Tapales.
Nicknamed “Nightmare,” Tapales went down once in the fourth round, and then for good in the 10th after taking a long right straight to the head as he tried to back away from another right straight. He went down on his knees, tried to feel himself but couldn’t get up.
The 31-year-old Filipino was in tears while being hugged by his manager, JC Manangquil, on top of the ring. He had vowed to beat Inoue or go down fighting.
Inoue ended up with all four belts (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO) in his corner, becoming only the second boxer in history to become undisputed world champion in two weight divisions.
The 30-year-old Inoue, now undefeated in 26 fights with 23 knockouts, followed the footsteps of Terence Crawford (light-welterweight and welterweight).
Tapales, also a former world champion at bantamweight, will go home without a belt. He left the ring and headed to his locker room, surrounded by his men in black, even while Inoue was being interviewed in the ring.
With the loss, the Philippines will close the year with no world champion in boxing.
“Big shoutout to Marlon Tapales for fighting me. I was surprised when he got down. But it was an intense fight,” said Inoue, his face unmarked like he had just climbed the ring to fight.
The opening round was a quiet one with neither boxer landing any clear, solid punch. It was more of a getting-to-know-you round with Tapales reaching out with his left straight and Inoue with his right.
Early in the second round, Tapales went down. But it was ruled as a slip as Inoue pressed the issue and showed that he was the busier fighter. Again, Tapales barely threw punches.
In the third, Inoue seemed to have found the right distance and somehow got the crowd going against the Filipino who seemed tentative even when it looked like he had the chance to throw some more.
At first, Tapales defended pretty well against the boxer who’s known for his explosive ways, rolling his right shoulder and weaving left and right in avoiding two Inoue punches heading to the fourth round.
In the fourth, Tapales landed a three-punch combination to the head and body. It woke the monster up, and soon after, Inoue started to land punches like he used to in his previous 25 fights.
Inoue landed a left hook and hurt Tapales. Then a series of punches and a right straight to the head floored the Filipino for the first time along the ropes with 20 seconds left in round No. 4.
Tapales got up, tried to make it appear he wasn’t hurt, then was saved by the bell. In the fifth, Tapales landed some good ones, including a right uppercut, then took some solid hits as well.
Tapales shook his head when Inoue landed a clear shot.
Japanese fans held their breath in the seventh as they waited for Inoue to go for the kill but failed. Tapales tried to defend himself sideways by fronting Inoue with his shoulder the way Floyd Mayweather Jr. does.
Inoue had piled up the points by the end of the eighth and ninth rounds.
A long right straight by Inoue in the 2:06 mark of the 10th round marked the beginning of the end of Tapales’ reign as world champion.
Tapales went down on a delayed reaction, and used a couple of seconds before even trying to stand.
Earlier, Cebu’s John Paul Gabunilas tried so hard but failed in his bid to regain his winning ways, losing by TKO in the fifth round against Japan’s Kanamu Sakama in their flyweight clash.
Gabunilas came off a stunning first-round knockout loss to Mel Fajardo back home barely four months ago, and hoped to pick up the pieces here.
But the 20-year-old Japanese had other things in mind, dealing the boxer nicknamed “Angas ng Cebu” yet another big loss, his third against 10 wins. Sakama moved to 9-0 with eight knockouts.
Prior to the main bout, two Japanese warriors took centerstage and engaged in a bloody 10-round bout for the Japanese bantamweight crown.
Seiya Tsutsumi, the underdog, bucked a large cut above his left eye from the third round onwards and scored four knockdowns against Kazuki Anaguchi to win on points. He drew a warm applause from the fans on a chilly night in Tokyo.