Naoya Inoue will KO him within 5 rounds! Former world heavyweight champion predicts 12/26 Tapales fight

The December 26th unification super bantamweight title match between Naoya Inoue (30) and Marlon Tapales (31) is just a few days away. Current WBC/WBO super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue has a record of 25 fights with 22 KOs and has won four world titles. If the world champions of all weight classes were to meet under the same conditions, who would be the strongest? In the “pound-for-pound” theory, which predicts who would be the strongest if the world champions of all weight classes were to meet under the same conditions, Inoue is also a top contender.

Inoue will soon be putting four belts on the line in the super bantam division, following the bantam division. I asked Tim Withaspoon, a former world heavyweight champion who lives in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia, to give me his prediction.

Witherspoon, who won the WBC title in 1984 and the WBA title in 1986, now lives as a trainer. Witherspoon was a top heavyweight with a no-hitting boxing style, but he lost his motivation to fight due to repeated exploitation by Don King, with whom he had a promotion contract. Nevertheless, he stayed in the ring until the age of 45 to support his children. With his advanced defense and overhand right, he rose to No. 9 in the world rankings at his age.

When I called Witherspoon, who lives alone with his 13-year-old fifth daughter, the former champ was preparing dinner for her.

Marlon Tapales beat Mrozhon Ahmadaliev by a 2-1 decision in April to win the WBA/IBF 122-pound title, right? I watched the video of that fight, and compared to Inouye, there is a noticeable difference in speed. It was a southpaw to southpaw fight, but I highly doubt Inouye would get that jab. The way they feinted, the way they stepped in, and their hand speeds were so different. Inouye will be able to see through Taparez’s punches and easily dodge them.

Even if Inouye calmly watches his opponent, Taparez will not be able to keep up with his moves. The same is true for Ahmadaliev. Taparez is not a high guard player. He tends to drop his fist from his chin and look at his opponent, and he tends to be open when he punches. The Japanese monster never misses such a slight opening. He never misses an opportunity, as he did against Fulton, when he landed a straight right hand and then sank his prey with another left hook as he was on the verge of collapse. Inouye will use his explosive and destructive power to finish Tapales again. I see Inouye unifying all four belts within five rounds.”

What are the strengths of Tapales, a 37-0 (19 KOs, 3 losses) southpaw? When asked what Taparez’s strengths are, Withaspoon responded: “Patience.

I think it’s his patience. In the fight against Ahmadaliev, he was very patient, and he landed jabs down and up to close the distance, and then landed a straight left. But compared to Inoue’s attacking variations, it was really monotonous. There was nothing scary about it. Sure, it’s a four-crown unification fight, but there’s too much of a difference in ability. Tapales is not very good at guarding and defending. For Inouye, he would be a very tasty opponent. The moment you face him in the ring, you must feel, ‘He’s a slow-moving fighter.

Tapares in his fight against Ahmadaliev hit a forceful straight left in the sixth round. It was a good attack, but it was a single shot and I didn’t see any follow-up. If you have a chance, you have to go. Give me a combination!” In the seventh round, his right guard was down and he took advantage of it. If it had been Inoue, he would have attacked at once and finished the fight. There was a scene where you went no guard, but if you make such a moment in front of a monster, the match is over.”

Then, if you were Tapales’ trainer, what advice would you give him? I asked.

First of all,” he said, “move back and forth, back and forth, left and right. First of all, you have to move back and forth, left and right, in short, footwork. Also, he should use a lot of head slips when approaching. That will give you a rhythm. Even so, it would be very difficult for Tapales to beat Inouye.

Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the pound-for-pound argument, Inouye is now considered the No. 1 or No. 2 fighter. Tapales has never even been in the rankings, right? They’re just too different…I think the Steven Fulton fight in July would have been on another level. Fulton and I are from the same hometown, so I really wanted him to win. But all I could do was run away from the fight. That’s how I managed to last until the eighth round.

If Taparez tried to get around the ring at a distance like Fulton did, Inouye would have easily caught him. Seriously, he’d be doomed to be beaten down with nothing left to do.

Witherspoon had a very low opinion of Tapales.

I saw the Iwasa fight, too.”

The former world heavyweight champion had also seen the IBF interim super bantamweight title fight between Tapares and Ryosuke Iwasa at the end of 2007.

I felt that Taparez was faster in that fight than he was when he fought Ahmadaliev. His jabs from different angles were effective. He also landed some good counters. But his guard was still low, and there were times when he dropped straight down. You lack defensive skills. He got hit by Iwasa’s left hand when both guards were down, and lost by KO. How did he manage to stay in the world championship despite that kind of loss? Are you working with a powerful manager?”

Rarely has a man been at the mercy of the political power of the boxing world as much as Withaspoon. That’s why his next words were so convincing.

I had a bad experience with Don King, but we live in an era where world champions are born by the spoon of promoters. But nowadays, world champions are being created by promoters’ discretion. If you ask me, Tapales is a nobody. Even Fulton is not a notable fighter. The same goes for today’s heavyweights. In my time, they would have a tough time winning the title.

But Inouye is the real deal. He is strong. He is a true champion who has made his mark in boxing history. I don’t see anyone else who can threaten Inouye at 122 pounds. He’s an outstanding guy.

Witherspoon has seen Naoya Inoue fight every step of the way since moving up to bantam.

He’s always looking for the KO, and he’s very aggressive,” said Witherspoon. He is confident and fast in every move. I can feel his pride in dominating all of his opponents. If I had to say something, I would say that from now on you should be more aware of your defense than your offense.

Once Inoue wins the super bantam title, he will be tempted to move up a notch, which means that his opponents will be bigger and more powerful. That means his opponents will be bigger and more powerful. If he wants to move up, he should not take punches. One punch can be fatal in boxing. That’s why I want him to be more aware of his defenses than ever before.

The Inoue vs. Tapales fight will be broadcast in the U.S. on ESPN+. It will be early Monday morning.

My daughter’s school is on Christmas break, so I’ll be watching it on TV.

Witherspoon laughed over the phone as he tied the knot.

On the 26th, Naoya Inoue will add another title to his collection. How will the fight be received by the home of boxing?

Click here to purchase Soichi Hayashi’s book “The Fist of Minority” about Tim Witherspoon’s life.