Daily Tribune
Now in the thick of training in Las Vegas, Marlon Tapales will attempt to keep his winning record on Japanese soil intact when he faces Naoya Inoue for the undisputed world super-bantamweight title in December in Tokyo.(PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Jhay Otamias )
The camp of Marlon Tapales believes it has the secret code that will enable the Filipino southpaw to run his winning record on Japanese soil to five-and-oh.
As Tapales keenly awaits the formal announcement for their December four-belt world super-bantamweight title clash in Tokyo, Sean Gibbons, who runs the affairs of the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation titleholder swears they have Inoue all figured out.
Inoue has the other two world 122-lb straps — the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization — and Tapales' own pair will be up for grabs when they collide sometime in the second week or third week of December.
"Not only does Marlon love sushi, but he loves to win in Japan as well," Gibbons said, noting how the 31-year-old Tapales handled business in Kanazawa (twice) and once each in Kyoto and Osaka.
First time he saw action in Japan, Tapales stopped Indonesian Ruben Manakane in four rounds at the Sangyo Hall in Kanazawa in 2013.
More than a year later, Tapales beat Hayato Kimura on a technical decision also at the same venue.
'This is going to be an unforgettable Christmas for Philippine boxing.'
Tapales would return to Japan the following year and this time, went to Kyoto where he halted Shohei Omori in two rounds at the Shimazu Arena.
A rematch happened two years later with a title at stake but Tapales had been stripped for failing to make the weight for the WBO bantam throne. Even if Tapales had won, the title would have remained vacant since he had already been stripped for not making the weight.
But it was not the same for Omori, who needed to beat Tapales to become the new champion.
Tapales, though crownless, would not hand the WBO 118-lb jewels on a silver platter and stopped Omori in the 11th round of a bloody war at the EDION Arena in Osaka.
According to Gibbons, a deal has already been reached but "there are still minor details that need to be addressed."
Gibbons likewise is looking forward to spending quite an amount of time in Japan in the next few months.
Another Filipino fighter, former world champion Jerwin Ancajas, is scheduled to gun for a world title on 15 November at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena in Tokyo.
Ancajas is slated to meet Takuma Inoue for the WBA bantam plum.
Takuma is Naoya's brother.
"We'll make it 2-0 versus Japan," Gibbons said.
"This is going to be an unforgettable Christmas for Philippine boxing," he added.
