Talks of an undisputed super-bantamweight showdown between Naoya Inoue (25-0) and Marlon Tapales (37-3) are reportedly underway and progressing well, with a fight between the pair currently being targeted for December.
Reports originating from Jake Donovan of Boxingscene confirmed that talks between both parties are ongoing. However, there is still work to be done to secure and deliver the undisputed showdown for December.
The location of the undisputed affair is most likely to be Tokyo, Japan.
Both Inoue and Taples earlier this year won their unified world titles. Firstly Tapales upset the oddsmakers in defeating WBA & IBF world super-bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev over twelve rounds in San Antonio, Texas. Tapales would secure a split decision points win in a closely contested affair.
Last month would see Naoya Inoue claim arguably the standout win of his career with a dominating and clinical stoppage of WBC & WBO world champion Stephen Fulton Jr. Inoue would secure an eighth-round stoppage of Fulton to win the unified super-bantamweight titles after previously securing undisputed champion status at bantamweight.
Inoue, back in December, would become the first Asian boxer to achieve undisputed status in any weight in defeating Paul Butler, producing one of the most one-sided world championship performances in recent history. Inoue would ultimately halt Butler in round eleven to wrestle the IBF world bantamweight title and fulfil his ambition of becoming an undisputed world champion.
Inoue can now realistically achieve becoming a two-weight undisputed champion within one calendar year if negotiations with Tapales are fruitful.
Neither Inoue nor Tapales are under any mandatory obligations at the time of publication due to all of the governing bodies in a tentative agreement to allow both respective parties to explore and exhaust all possible options in securing an undisputed super-bantamweight title contest. Inoue, earlier this year, had set out to become an undisputed champion at super-bantamweight within two fights when he announced his inevitable more to the 122lb weight class. Following his win in April, Tapales immediately stated that he would want to face the winner of Inoue-Fulton.
Tapales was also in attendance in Tokyo last month to witness Inoue defeat Fulton and posed in the ring with Inoue as the Japanese fighter called out Filipino Tapales to face him in the ring later in the year.
If a deal can be agreed, Inoue vs Tapales would be the first undisputed super-bantamweight fight in history since the weight class was re-introduced to the sport in the 1970’s.
