Japanese boxing sensation Naoya Inoue will be back in action a day after Christmas, with the Naoya Inoue vs. Marlon Tapales reportedly set to take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on December 26.
"The Monster" is eyeing another accolade as he aims to become only the second fighter to target a four-belt undisputed status in a second division. Inoue is already a four-division world champion at the moment, ESPN reported.
"The sensational Naoya Inoue astounds with every performance. We are witnessing an all-time great fighter in the prime of his career," Top Rank chairman Bob Arum stated via Fightnews.com.
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However, Arum warns that Inoue's next fight will not be easy. Tapales is hungry and is on a five-fight winning run.
For his part, Naoya Inoue's record shows the Japanese boxer owning a perfect record of 25 wins, 22 of them via knockout.
"He has a very difficult task at hand on December 26 against a tough, powerful Filipino champion in Marlon Tapales, but I am confident 'The Monster' will pass this test with flying colors."
Inoue is coming off a huge TKO win over Stephen Fulton last July to snag the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles.
Tapales was one of the many people who saw the fight. In an exclusive interview with PTV Sports PH Plus, the WBA and IBF super-bantamweight title holder admits that he was impressed with the win of the 30-year-old Japanese fighter.
Although impressed, he pointed out that there is no such thing as a perfect boxer.
"There will always be a weakness," Tapales said in Filipino. "Yes I see one. In my personal opinion, I feel there is a chance for me to win," he added.
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