Naoya Inoue Makes History as Undisputed Super Bantamweight Champion

Naoya Inoue, who holds the WBO and WBC titles, defeated Marlon Tapales, the WBA and IBF champion, in the tenth round to become the undisputed super bantamweight champion. This win makes Inoue only the second male boxer in the four-belt era to achieve undisputed status in a second weight class, joining Terence Crawford. The fight's theme was set from the opening round, with Inoue displaying quick-hand speed and an aggressive approach while Tapales tried to counter him. Inoue landed a right hook to the body and a right uppercut in the first round. Despite Tapales' focus on targeting Inoue's body, Inoue dominated the fight, causing Tapales to touch the canvas in the next round. Although it was ruled a slip by the referee, Inoue continued to control the pace of the fight. He backed up Tapales in round three and scored a knockdown in the following round with a left hook followed by a flurry of combinations.