Is Inoue unbeatable?

It appears that there’s no man alive who can beat undisputed WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO superbantamweight champion Naoya Inoue in his weight division at the moment. The Japanese “Monster” is peaking at 31 and has a 28-0 record, with 25 KOs. He’s only the third boxer in history to win four titles in the same weight class with Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk the others. His last nine fights ended in abbreviated fashion and 10 of his 25 KO wins were inside three rounds.

The last man to survive the distance with Inoue was Nonito Donaire in 2019. The Filipino Flash was the closest to defeat Inoue who ended their clash with a fractured right orbital bone, broken nose and a cut over the right eye requiring five stitches. But in a rematch in 2022, Inoue floored Donaire twice and won by a second-round stoppage.

Unfazed by Inoue’s pristine record, former WBO bantamweight and WBA/IBF superbantamweight ruler Marlon Tapales hinted that if given another chance, he’ll tame the Monster. Late last year, Tapales was decked in the fourth round and counted out in the 10th as Inoue unified the championships in the 122-pound division. The other day, Tapales said things will be different in a rematch. “Magaling si Inoue, alam natin ‘yan,” he said. “Gustong-gusto ko makalaban siya muli. Mayroon akong gustong gawin na patunayan kasi mayroon akong nagawa noon na pagkakamali na ako lang ang nakakaalam.” Tapales has repeatedly reviewed the video of the fight and at hindsight, knows what he did wrong. He also knows now what to do to repulse Inoue.

Tomorrow, Tapales defends his WBC Asian Continental superbantamweight crown against India’s Saurabh Kumar at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It’ll be his second outing since losing to Inoue. Last May, Tapales roared back to pulverize Thailand’s Nattapong Jankaew in one round. Tapales’ manager JC Manangquil of SanMan Promotions expects a convincing victory and will line up another fight before the year ends. The plan is to bring Tapales back on the throne. He’s rated No. 2 by WBC, No. 3 by IBF and No. 4 by WBA so a title shot isn’t far away.

Tapales, 32, boasts a 38-4 record, with 20 KOs. He turned pro in 2008, 12 years before Kumar’s debut. Kumar, 28, has an 11-1-1 mark, with six KOs and last year, was halted by Zhong Liu in Wuhan. Fighting overseas is nothing new to Tapales who has compiled an 11-3 record abroad, seeing action in the US, Japan, Thailand and Mexico.

Inoue has victimized six Filipinos – Donaire twice, Tapales, Crison Omayao, Jerson Mancio, Warlito Parrenas and Michael Dasmarinas. Last Tuesday, the Monster stopped Ireland’s TJ Doheny in the seventh round with Top Rank head Bob Arum watching at ringside in Tokyo. After the demolition, Arum announced that Inoue will fight once more in Japan this year then head to Las Vegas where bigger game awaits. Inoue has fought thrice in the US but not since 2021. His last seven fights were in Japan. If Inoue moves up to the featherweight division, four superbantamweight belts will be up for grabs and Tapales will surely be tapped to vie for one of them. Tapales, however, isn’t banking on filling in for Inoue. He’s itching for a return engagement.