Inoue KOs Tapales, becomes undisputed champ in 2nd division

Christmas came one day late for Naoya Inoue - but it was surely worth the wait.

Inoue became undisputed junior featherweight champion Tuesday, knocking out a game Marlon Tapales at the 1:02 mark of the 10th round at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

Inoue, widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, already held the WBO and WBC 122-pound titles and added the IBF and WBA belts to his mantle.

The victory comes just over a year after Inoue won the undisputed bantamweight championship in December 2022 in the same arena. The Japanese fighter joins Terence Crawford as the only two male boxers to win undisputed championships in two divisions during the four-belt era, according to boxing journalist Kevin Iole.

Early into the 10th round, Inoue landed a right hand and Tapales dropped to his knees. Tapales did not return to his feet, and the referee waved off the fight.

Inoue also scored a knockdown in the fourth round, dropping Tapales with a combination.

Tapales was a big underdog but proved to be an adequate opponent for "The Monster." The two champions traded heavy shots throughout the exciting bout. Inoue was still largely in control, though, topping Tapales in total punches 146-52 and in power punches 114-43.

Inoue moved up to junior featherweight in July after dominating the bantamweight division for years. He pummeled Stephen Fulton en route to an eighth-round stoppage victory to claim the WBO and WBC titles and set up an undisputed title bout against Tapales. The 30-year-old is now 26-0 as a pro with 23 knockouts.

Tapales captured the IBF and WBA junior featherweight belts in April and hadn't defended them. The 31-year-old Filipino falls to 37-4 as a pro with 19 finishes.