Straight out of the gate, it's tempting to say that Marlon Tapales needs the help of several friends to conquer Naoya Inoue in their undisputed super bantamweight title fight at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on December 26.
Tapales (37-3, 19 KOs) is the reigning IBF and WBA world champion at 122 pounds. The Filipino lefty also held the WBO bantamweight crown briefly between 2016 and 2017, so his credentials are beyond reproach.
Signature wins have come against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Hiroaki Teshigawara, and Pungluang Sor Singyu. He’s aggressive, brave, strong, and powerful.
The only problem is that he’ll be punch-swapping with “The Monster”.
WATCH: Naoya Inoue vs. Marlon Tapales, exclusively on ESPN+
Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) currently holds the WBC and WBO titles at super bantamweight. The Japanese warrior is arguably the finest pound-for-pound fighter in the world today and he’s in the process of conquering a fourth weight division.
Blessed with speed, thunderous hitting power, and excellent craft, Inoue just looks unbeatable at present.
So, what can Tapales do here? Well, it would behove the 31-year-old boxer-puncher not to be quite as aggressive as he has been in the past. The more Tapales opens up, the more opportunities he gives Inoue to counter punch.
It’s a balancing act, however, because the underdog must get some respect or he’ll be blown out quickly. Tapales will have to select his moments to punch and make each blow count. He has the punching power to do that, but it remains to be seen if he has the patience.
December 26 will be a treat for boxing fans 🙌
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You’re also tempted to suggest that Tapales should use his southpaw stance to his advantage. For the most part, boxers aren’t enthusiastic about going against that stance because everything comes at them backwards and their defences aren’t calibrated as well for a southpaw assault.
The problem is that Tapales fights very square on for a left-hander, which blunts his advantage. And while Inoue had only fought three southpaws in his pro career, he’s annihilated every one of them (Omar Narvaez KO 2, Juan Carlos Payano KO 1, Michael Dasmarinas KO 3).
Probably the best thing Tapales can do is give his opponent different looks. When I spoke to Nonito Donaire for The Ring Magazine ahead of his first fight with Inoue, he referenced the importance of being adaptable.
In that fight, Donaire hurt Inoue on several occasions and also broke his eye socket with a jolting left hook. "The Filipino Flash" came forward, he moved back, he switched up the speed and power of his shots, and Inoue was forced to reset throughout.
WATCH: Naoya Inoue vs. Marlon Tapales, exclusively on ESPN+
Can Tapales mimic the kind of performance that Donaire put on that night in Saitama? It’s asking an awful lot.
The one thing Tapales can’t do is panic. He’ll be hit harder in this fight than he’s ever been hit before and he must be braced for impact. His honey punch is the right hook, which he can score with as a lead or as a counter.
Tapales also works the body well, which no opponent has been able to do against Inoue so far. Again, that strategy is fraught with danger because attacking the body leaves a fighter open to the head.
In the end, all Tapales can do is sharpen up his weapons and hope for the best. After all, boxing is the theatre of the unexpected. You just never know.