Marlon Tapales (right) poses with former world champion Mark Magsayo (left) after their sparring session in the United States. | Photo from Tapales’ Facebook.
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) world super bantamweight champion Marlon “Nightmare” Tapales has already started his training camp in anticipation of a possible unification showdown with Japanese superstar Naoya “Monster” Inoue.
Tapales flew to the United States last week and will likely spend the rest of the year there as negotiations would possibly start for an inevitable unification battle with Inoue, the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) world super bantamweight ruler.
It can be recalled that Tapales formally announced his intention to challenge Inoue after the latter won an eighth-round technical knockout of Stephen Fulton last July 25 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Inoue’s victory unified the two world titles.
READ: Naoya Inoue draws comparisons to Manny Pacquiao
At ringside during that fight was no other than Tapales who later on stepped in the ring and formally challenged Inoue for a unification showdown.
Although there have been no negotiations yet, Sanman Boxing and Sean Gibbons of MP Promotions are eyeing a December skirmish.
In his Facebook post, Tapales said he has already ramped up his training in the US by sparring with former world champion Mark Magsayo.
Even before he flew to the US, Tapales had been training since July and even trained in Vietnam, two months after wresting the two world titles from erstwhile champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan in San Antonio, Texas.
If the unification showdown pushes through in December, it will be one of the biggest boxing fights this year.
Tapales, 31, has a record of 37 wins with 19 knockouts and three defeats.
Meanwhile, Inoue is unbeaten in 25 bouts with 22 knockouts. /rcg
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