On December 26, 2023, Marlon Tapales will face Naoya Inoue in a super bantamweight unification bout scheduled at the Ariake Arena. In this matchup, Tapales will defend his WBA and IBF titles, while Inoue holds the WBC and WBO versions. Ahead of the fight, let's look at who Tapales is.
Marlon Tapales, also known as the "Maranding Nightmare," hails from Tubod, Lanao del Norte, Philippines, and was born on March 23, 1992, making him 31 years of age.
Tapales began his professional boxing career at 16 with a 1st round TKO victory over Nestor Gamolo on July 18, 2008. He became the bantamweight world champion at the age of 24, after 30 professional fights, defeating Pungluang Sor Singyu with an 11th-round KO.
As of October 2023, Marlon boasts a professional record of 37 wins and 3 losses in 40 bouts, including 18 KO wins and 2 KO losses.
Marlon Tapales is a two-weight-division world champion, having claimed three world titles, all of which were lineal championships:
Super-bantamweight: WBA, IBF
Bantamweight: WBO
Tapales is 163 cm tall (5' 4.17") with a 171 cm reach (5' 7.32"). He fights as a southpaw and has an ape index of 8 cm (3.15"). Additionally, he possesses a 45% KO rate.