Boxing: ‘Monster’ Inoue confident ahead of historic fight

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) — Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue sounded poised as he reflected on history Sunday, two days ahead of a fight that could make him the second man to unify all four world championships in two different weight classes.

He will face the Philippines’ Marlon Tapales on Tuesday at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena for the undisputed super bantamweight world title.

“This is going to be historic and will be a great achievement, but in terms of my career, it will be just one stop on my journey,” Inoue told a Yokohama press conference.

Nicknamed “the Monster,” Inoue is undefeated in 25 pro fights, 22 of which he ended with a knockout. Last December, he unified all four bantamweight welts before relinquishing them to move up in weight.

In his July super bantamweight debut, Inoue’s overwhelming eighth-round technical knockout of American Stephen Fulton earned him the WBC and WBO titles to set up Tuesday’s clash with Tapales.

“I’ve prepared myself without any slip-ups. I want to win regardless how the fight develops,” Inoue said.

“If an opportunity comes my way, I want to seize it and take advantage.”

Tapales is 37-3 with 19 knockouts.

“In any case, I want to have a good fight and win,” he said. “I’m in good condition and my preparations have been thorough.”

In July, American Terence Crawford became the first to unify all four championships in two weight classes.