Inoue vs Tapales

When is Inoue vs Tapales?

Naoya Inoue will face Marlon Tapales on Tuesday 26th December 2023 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

The fight will be contested over 12 rounds in the Super Bantamweight division, which means the weight limit will be 122 pounds (8.7 stone or 55.3 KG).

This contest is for the undisputed super bantamweight championship of the world, with the IBF, WBA, WBC & WBO belts on the line.

Also, on the undercard will be Seiya Tsutsumi's and Kazuki Anaguchi's contest and Kanamu Sakama's and John Paul Gabunilas' bout.

Inoue vs Tapales stats

Naoya Inoue steps into the ring with an undefeated record of 25 wins, zero loses and 0 draws, 22 of those wins coming by the way of knock out.

Marlon Tapales will make his way to the ring with a record of 37 wins, 3 loses and 0 draws, with 19 of those wins by knock out.

The stats suggest Inoue has a massive power advantage over Tapales, boosting at 88% knock out percentage over Tapales' 51%.

Naoya Inoue is the younger man by 1 year, at 30 years old.

Inoue has a height advantage of 1 inch over Tapales.

Naoya Inoue fights out of the orthodox stance, while Marlon Tapales is a southpaw.

Inoue is the less experienced professional fighter, having had 15 less fights, and made his debut in 2012, 4 year and 2 months later than Tapales, whose first professional fight was in 2008. He has fought 112 less professional rounds, 146 to Tapales' 258.

Naoya Inoue goes into the fight ranked number 1 by the RING at super bantamweight.

Marlon Tapales is currently ranked number 2 by the RING in the 122lb division.

Inoue vs Tapales form

Inoue remains undefeated as a professional, stopping 5 of his recent opponents.

In his last fight, he beat Stephen Fulton on 25th July 2023 by technical knockout in the 8th round in their WBC World Super Bantamweight and WBO World Junior Featherweight championship fight at Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku, Japan.

Previous to that, he had beat Paul Butler on 13th December 2022 by knockout in the 11th round in their The Ring Bantamweight, WBO World Bantamweight, IBF World Bantamweight and WBC World Bantamweight championship fight at Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku, Tokyo.

Going into that contest, he had won against Nonito Donaire on 7th June 2022 by technical knockout in the 2nd round in their WBC World Bantamweight, WBA Super World Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at Super Arena, Saitama.

Before that, he had beat Aran Dipaen on 14th December 2021 by technical knockout in the 8th round in their WBA Super World Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at Kokugikan, Tokyo.

He had defeated Michael Dasmarinas on 19th June 2021 by knockout in the 3rd round in their WBA Super World Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas, United States.

Tapales has beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 3 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight, he won against Murodjon Akhmadaliev on 8th April 2023 by split decision in their IBF World Junior Featherweight and WBA Super World Super Bantamweight championship fight at Boeing Center at Tech Port, San Antonio, United States.

Previous to that, he had won against Jose Estrella on 14th May 2022 by knockout in the 2nd round at Dignity Health Sports Park, California.

Going into that contest, he had defeated Hiroaki Teshigawara on 11th December 2021 by knockout in the 2nd round at Dignity Health Sports Park, California.

Before that, he had been beaten by Ryosuke Iwasa on 7th December 2019 by technical knockout in the 11th round at Barclays Center, New York.

He had beat Roberto Castaneda on 1st June 2019 by knockout in the 3rd round at Soboba Casino, California.

Activity check

In terms of recent activity, Naoya Inoue has been fighting more than Marlon Tapales.

Naoya Inoue last fought 5 months and 1 day ago, while Marlon Tapales' last outing was 8 months and 18 days ago.

Inoue's last 5 fights have come over a period of 2 years, 6 months and 7 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 6 months and 3 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 32 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 6.4 rounds on average.

Tapales' last 5 fights have come over a period of 4 years, 6 months and 25 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 10 months and 29 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 30 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 6 rounds on average.

What time does Inoue vs Tapales start?

The fighters are expected to ringwalk at around 12:00 PM UTC at Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan, which is 7:00 AM EST or 4:00 AM PST on the West Coast of America, or 12:00 PM GMT in the UK.

Who is showing Inoue vs Tapales?

The ESPN+ show is expected to begin at 3:00 AM EST / 12:00 AM PST. The Sky Sports Arena broadcast of the card is expected to start at 10:00 AM (GTM).

How do you stream Inoue vs Tapales?

You can stream Inoue vs Tapales via NowTV. They allow you to stream Sky Sports boxing cards via their app, based on a 24 hour, weekly or monthly passes. You’ll also get access to 11 Sky Sports Channels during your pass period. They also do a monthly smartphone only pass for £5.99, which is great if you need to catch Inoue vs Tapales on the move.

24 hours of NowTV is £11.98, while 1 month costs £34.99.

Existing or new Sky Sports subscribers can stream Inoue vs Tapales, and all Sky boxing cards, via the Sky Go App. This is free is you’re already a Sky Sports TV customer. It’s available for Apple, Android, Firestick, Roku and games consoles.

24 hours of Sky Go is £11.98, while 1 month costs £34.99.

You can stream Inoue vs Tapales via the ESPN+ app. This is a standalone service from regular ESPN, so you don’t need to be an existing TV subscriber. You can download the app for PC, Apple, Android, Fire TV, Roku, your Smart TV and many others.

1 month of ESPN+ is $10.99, 1 month (disney+/hulu) of ESPN+ is $14.99, 1 month (disney+/hulu no ads) of ESPN+ is $24.99 and 1 year costs $109.99.

What are the odds on Inoue vs Tapales?

Naoya Inoue is currently 2/25 (-1200) to win the bout outright, while you can get 29/4 (+730) on Marlon Tapales if you fancy the massive upset.

View all Inoue vs Tapales Odds