Naoya Inoue has the opportunity to become the undisputed champion at two weights in this fight against Tapales, who is the owner of the IBF and WBA titles.
If Inoue were to win, she would be in exclusive company. Only Terence Crawford has won two weight classes without a challenge in the four-belt era.
Inoue has an incredible record of success. In just his sixth professional fight, he took home the world championship at light flyweight.
Before moving up to bantamweight and winning a title at super-flyweight, he had won a thrilling bout against Nonito Donaire and destroyed Jamie McDonnell in only one round. In a rematch, he also defeated “The Filipino Flash” in just two rounds.
In less than a year, he will become the undisputed bantamweight champion if he defeats Tapales. He currently holds that title in his second weight class.
The manner in which he achieved his achievements has also left a lasting effect.
“A unique combatant, he excels at everything. Everything. Hall of Famer Jane Couch remarked of him, “I can’t find a fault in him.”
Boxing trainer and analyst Gary Logan said: “And what he’s really good at, if you do find a weakness, he closes that door quickly.” He swiftly shuts that door and discovers the solution to the problem you believe you’ve solved.
“He repeatedly touched Fulton with a strong jab to the gut during their most recent encounter. Before Fulton knows it, he has lowered his left hand to shield his stomach from that strong blow, and Inoue has brought his right hand through the top.
He always exerts cunning pressure on you while observing the blunders you make. He is therefore essentially a very forceful counterpuncher.
But since he possesses that one-two snap, that uncommon force, and that uncommon timing, he can also lead. His unusual timing is what gives you that snap, if you were to put him in a box.
“He’s defeating guys who appear to be far larger than him, and you could see him succeeding at featherweight.
“Tapales is not to be underestimated, but how many times have we said that, and he’s still gone out there and chinned him?”
Josh Taylor is the person who knows the most about what it takes to become an unchallenged champion. That was accomplished by the Scotsman at extremely minimal weight.
Inoue and he have both fought in Glasgow on the same card. “He’s a great fighter, and I’m a very big fan of him,” Taylor stated.
He believes that Inoue is among the top fighters in the world right now, regardless of weight. He must rank No. 1 or No. 2. If Inoue defeats Tapales, there will only be two undisputed world champions in the two-weight division.
“Those two individuals must be ranked first and second. Indeed. It’s imperative that you argue, whether it’s with him or Crawford.”
The man who represents Inoue, Todd duBoef of Top Rank, feels the Japanese fighter has already proven he is the greatest in the sport, pound for pound.
“Just based on his body of performance, it’s difficult to overlook him as the best player in terms of weight. Regardless of the weight class, he always fights the best, and he’s one of those just-driven fighters,” duBoef said to Sky Sports.
Having worked in the industry since 1993, I could tell these guys were extraordinary warriors when I saw them emerging.
“He has that, regardless of who it was—Fletch Mayweather, Kostya Tszyu, or someone else. He is capable of that. He possesses the “it” factor—power, speed, intelligence, and sheer dominance.
“I believe the majority of people would agree that the first bout, the Donaire fight, was fantastic and extremely competitive. It was a great battle, but he got tagged early in the round and was losing maybe 60% of his strength due to his fractured orbital socket.
“He is a special, special fighter across the board,” he stated. “His level of popularity in Japan is astounding. Although he is doing such amazing things for the sport in America, we would really love to have him there.”
Inoue and Crawford have differing views on who is the best player, pound for pound.
Pound-for-pound lists, in my opinion, are challenging. You’re only as good as your most recent bout, and it was your performance that stood out the most. Everyone leaps at that. Former world championship challenger and Sky Sports analyst Matthew Macklin said of Inoue: “He [Inoue] is pretty much amazing every single time. Crawford was sensational against Spence.
“He is undoubtedly there in that discussion. Most people would probably rank him either No. 1 or No. 2. The prevailing perception seems to be that Terence Crawford and Inoue are the contenders.
According to Sky Sports pundit Andy Clarke, Crawford now has the advantage in that regard. “If Inoue beats Tapales, he’ll become undisputed in his second weight division, but I would still put him behind Terence Crawford. I think because of Crawford’s achievement of unifying at welterweight, I would put Inoue’s at super-bantamweight,” Clarke stated.
“Because it was a huge fight and he defeated [Errol] Spence.” Their accomplishments in bantamweight and super-lightweight are about equal, in my opinion. Crawford thus has the advantage against “The Monster,” in my opinion.
“I would still put Crawford ahead of Inoue [now] because his win against Spence to unify at welterweight and the manner of it, given the opposition, will top Inoue unifying against Tapales.”
However, it is a really high standard, and Inoue could surpass Crawford in the future—especially if he advances to a higher weight class.
Todd duBoef thinks Inoue can and will do it. “Is he able to run in the 126-pound division? Nothing would be impossible for him. Most likely,” duBoef stated.
“He could be able to compete in a 30-pound battle, depending on the 30-pounder, but I believe his true maximum weight will be 126 pounds.
“For size purposes, I’m not sure we see Inoue above 126 lbs.”
Winning crowns in the competitive featherweight class would position Inoue at the pinnacle of the sport, but if Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury in February, he too may become the undisputed champion at two weights, alongside Crawford.
Clarke made the following observation: “Of course, it’s always conceivable. If Inoue moves up to featherweight—which I believe we all expect him to—then perhaps he might surpass [Crawford] by taking home the world title in that weight class. And there’s Usyk to think about. He’ll be up there if he defeats Fury.”
“It’s a difficult business to predict where a fighter will be ranked if they win in a fight that is yet to happen,” stated Matt Christie, editor of Boxing News. I believe that even if Naoya Inoue, as we all know, turns out to be a fantastic, brilliant, and entertaining fighter and triumphs handily on Boxing Day, Terence Crawford will still be the top fighter in the sport, according to Boxing News.
Even though it was only one fight, I believe that Crawford’s performance in 2023 against Errol Spence, who was for a long time considered to be his closest opponent and who many had predicted would win, and the way that Crawford dismantled Spence before the fight set a very high standard in the sport that not even Inoue can quite match.
“But what we’re set for in the sport of boxing, with these two leading the way and potentially Oleksandr Usyk joining them in February, is a sport that’s very, very healthy at the top.”
On December 26, watch Inoue vs. Tapales live on Sky Sports. The main event will start at 10 a.m., with the undercard starting at 8 a.m.
