Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Boxing fight updates and results today
Re-live the action from Tokyo, where Naoya Inoue fought Marlon Tapales for undisputed status
Naoya Inoue dropped and stopped Marlon Tapales on Tuesday, becoming a two-weight undisputed champion in the process.
With his 10th-round victory in Tokyo, the Japanese unified his WBC and WBO super-bantamweight belts with Tapales’s WBA and IBF titles. The result made Inoue, 30, just the second man to become undisputed in two divisions in the four-belt era, after Terence Crawford achieved that feat in July.
Tapales, 31, was a game opponent in the Japanese capital, but ultimately the Filipino went the same way as all of Inoue’s other opponents, as the home fighter stayed unbeaten and solidified his status as a four-weight world champion.
Inoue appeared to drop Tapales with a counter jab in round two, but the referee instead ruled the moment a slip by the Filipino. However, Inoue would score official knockdowns in rounds four and 10, with the latter ending the fight.
In round four, it was a left hook by Inoue that hurt Tapales, who was then put down by an onslaught of follow-up shots. Yet the southpaw showed resilience to fight on and make the bout competitive, even landing a number of clean shots to the head and body of Inoue, targeting the latter well in the clinch.
It seemed that the fight would go the distance, until Tapales stumbled backwards and fell to his knees in round 10, despite appearing to block a heavy right cross. The power of the shot seemingly proved too much for the WBA and IBF champion, who crawled forwards but could not stand in time to beat the referee’s count.
Re-live updates below.
Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Round three
Tapales blocks a series of varied, heavy shots from Inoue, but the Filipino will have felt the impact of all of those.
Now Tapales fires off a southpaw cross to the mid-section. He corners Inoue and lands a decent cross, before Inoue fights his way into space, using his jab nicely.
A left hook is just wide of the mark for Inoue. Tapales lands to the body, and again, before seeing a right hook blocked upstairs.
Cross up top, right hook to the body by Inoue. His counter jab lands but a counter hook just misses.
Nice right hand by Inoue after he baits in Tapales with a feint.
A good round for Tapales, but Inoue started to turn the tide later in the frame.
Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Round two
Tapales backs up Inoue, who drops Tapales to a knee with a counter jab!
It’s ruled a slip, but that looked like a legitimate knockdown to me.
One-two to the body of Tapales, now a quick counter flurry of straight shots by Inoue.
Again Inoue lands a counter jab as Tapales opens up. The Filipino blocks a hard right cross.
Slick counter uppercut by Inoue, then a hook just misses for the Japanese. He loads up on a right hand but is out of range.
Strong jab by Tapales. Inoue tries to retaliate at once, using more short, straight punches.
Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Round one
Heavy right uppercut to the body by Inoue, as his first shot of the fight, after he parries a jab.
Now a one-two, which Tapales blocks. Plenty of power on that effort, too.
Southpaw jab to the body by Tapales. Inoue tries a right hook, but he can’t curl it around his opponent’s guard.
Another one-two by Inoue is smothered by Tapales, but the cross seems to sneak through slightly.
Tapales with a decent left hand, and Inoue comes back with another right hook to the body. Now a lovely step-back uppercut by Inoue, squeezing it through the guard of Tapales.
Lunging jab to the body by Tapales from range.
Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Main event begins!
First bell! We’re under way!
Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Main-event ring walks
Both fighters are now in the ring! The main event is minutes away...
The boxers’ national anthems are up first.
Two US judges for this bout, one from Canada. The referee is also from the US.
Now we’re onto the fighter introductions.
Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Main-event ring walks
Inoue’s pro record stands at 25-0 with 22 knockouts. Tapales is 37-3 with 19 KO wins and 2 KO losses.
Inoue is 30, Tapales is 31. Inoue fights out of Japan, Tapales fights out of the Philippines.
At 5ft 5.5in, Inoue is an inch-and-a-half taller than Tapales. The Japanese’s reach – 67.5in – is two-and-a-half inches longer than Tapales’s, too.
Inoue stands orthodox, while Tapales is a southpaw.
Tapales, the WBA and IBF champion, is making his ring walk first. Then, it will be WBC and WBO champ Inoue.
Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Seiya Tsutsumi vs Kazuki Anaguchi
As we wait for the main-event ring walks, read our preview of Inoue vs Tapales right here:
Forget the football – boxing is the obvious sporting choice on Boxing Day
Let your TV transport you to Tokyo, where the best boxer in the world returns to the ring. Alex Pattle delves into Naoya Inoue’s bid to win even more world titles
Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Seiya Tsutsumi vs Kazuki Anaguchi
Seiya Tsutsumi def. Kazuki Anaguchi via unanimous decision.
Tsutsumi gets it done! He suffered a nasty cut but scored four knockdowns to win what was a competitive fight (in spite of those knockdowns).
Brutal stuff at times. Tsutsumi has earned every one of the 10 million Yen that he’s now receiving in the form of a giant cheque.
Next up? The main event! Naoya Inoue vs Marlon Tapales, to crown an undisputed super-bantamweight champion.
Don’t go anywhere.
Inoue vs Tapales LIVE: Seiya Tsutsumi vs Kazuki Anaguchi
Round 10
Final round. It’s a firefight from the first bell! Blood is smeared on Tsutsumi’s left cheek, having slipped down from his lascerated brow.
Anaguchi with stern left straights. Tsutsumi with a left uppercut to the head and a right hook to the body.
Now Anaguchi catches Tsutsumi with a right hook. Grazing left cross by Anaguchi. Tsutsumi fires back to the body.
OH! With fewer than five seconds left in the fight, Anaguchi goes down again! It’s due to a pair of hooks!
That’s the fourth time in this fight that Anaguchi has arguably led a round but likely lost it due to a knockdown.
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