Invasion gets underway — Tapales hot on Tokyo triumph

Marlon Tapales staged an impromptu press conference upon his arrival at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

Arriving from Manila, Tapales was met by a large group of mediamen and he gladly and patiently answered questions in relation to his fast-approaching unification showdown with Naoya Inoue on 26 December at the Ariake Arena.

The reception was tremendous, according to the Fiipino southpaw's promoter JC Mananquil, who blew into town alongside chief trainer Ernel Fontanilla and Brendan Gibbons, son of MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons,

After the Q&A, Tapales and his team were brought to the Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel and Towers where they would all be staying for the entire duration of the trip.

All four major world title belts are going to be at stake with Inoue, the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization champion, heavily favored to snatch Tapales' World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation straps.

Tapales was slated to work out late Tuesday to get rid of the effects of the close to five-hour flight from the Philippines.

"There's a well-equipped gym and this is where Marlon's going to train, including the running aspect of the training," Mananquil reported from the Japanese capital.

The temperature in Yokohama, 35 kilometers south of Tokyo, will have a high of eight to 10 degrees Celsius during daytime and a low of two to three degrees during the evening and early morning hours.

Tapales spent almost six weeks in Baguio City, which has an elevation of 5,000 feet above sea level, but the weather was nowhere near that of Japan during that time.

Still, the high-altitude training is being looked at as a gamechanger in this all-important showdown with Inoue.

The only time Tapales will head outside will be on Wednesday afternoon for a workout for the Japanese media and on fight night itself.

The press conference and official weighin are going to be held at the hotel on Sunday and Monday, respectively.