TOKYO, Japan — If Marlon Tapales scores a monstrous win Tuesday night, he will suddenly find himself seated right beside Manny Pacquiao as the second greatest Filipino boxer of all time.
Just one victory would be enough to make Tapales an all-time great.
Taking down Naoya “Monster” Inoue at the Ariake Arena is a monumental task that getting it done would change the way Tapales would rank among the finest Filipino boxers.
The impact of such could be equivalent or even greater than Flash Elorde’s ten defenses of the world junior-lightweight crown in the 1960s or Nonito Donaire’s four-division conquests that included a string of sensational showings.
So, why is that?
One word.
Undisputed.
For all of Pacquiao’s achievements, there is one thing that he didn’t get to win.
While he was the pound-for-pound king for many years, Pacquiao never was called, even once, an undisputed champion.
Though his feats are the stuff of legend, Pacquiao will never ever be called undisputed.
And that’s exactly what is on Tapales’ mind as he goes into a scheduled 12-rounder with the man who many describe as invincible, a man who could get close to what Pacquiao did: Become an eight-division champion.
But Tapales is fully aware of the enormous task before him.
Inoue brings to the ring a record of 25-0 with 22 knockouts that doesn’t really show how good he really is.
The uber-talented Japanese is the ultimate package.
He is not just strong but colossal.
There is no known weakness of Inoue.
It doesn’t matter who he fights.
They all end up battered and broken.
Give him a southpaw like Tapales, no problem.
Throw in a rightie, same result.
Counter-puncher? Not even.
Slugger? Perfect.
Tapales and his team, however, have seen a soft spot that they intend to exploit come fight night.
Energized by three months of intense training, Tapales insists he has got a shot at adding Inoue’s World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization straps to his World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation belts.
Don’t expect him to fight like a scared cat that is out to survive.
While his 37-3 mark with 19 knockouts does not ooze with explosiveness, Tapales relies heavily on ring smarts and shot placement to frustrate his foes.
Though his punching power is below Inoue’s, it doesn’t mean that he could not crack.
This decent amount of power, coupled with the right timing, can make up for that lack of oomph.
FINISHING FLURRIES: Marlon Tapales stepped in at 121 1/4 lbs while Naoya Inoue came in at 121 3/4 lbs…Celestino Ruiz of the United States will be the third man on the ring while Robin Taylor, Raul Caiz Jr. and Craig Metcalfe are the three judges…Immediately after the weigh-in, Tapales emptied a bottle of liquid to rehydrate himself. In his room, there were two large servings of bulalo and steamed fish, white rice and boiled eggs. When the bell rings, Tapales is expected to be weighing around 140 lbs. “Marlon had these two big servings of sabaw (soup),” said Brendan Gibbons, who will work Tapales’ corner… Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, whose company Top Rank represents Inoue, is also in town and was very pleased to see two Filipino scribes who joined him during Manny Pacquiao’s fights and promotional tours across the United States mainland, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
