Unified WBA and IBF World Super Bantamweight Champion Marlon Tapales to Watch Ringside for WBC and WBO Super Bantamweight World Championship Bout: Stephen Fulton vs. Naoya Inoue in Tokyo, Japan
Not technically related to the fight but just want to share some side news here.
The current WBA and IBF World Super Bantamweight Champion Marlon Tapales will watch on the ringside of this fight together with those big names behind his success, Manager Jim Claude Manangquil and promoter Sean Gibbons of MP Promotions. I wonder if there will be a big announcement at the end of this fight.
It's anticipated by most that the winner of this match between Stephen Fulton and Naoya Inoue might face Tapales next in another big unification match.
Honestly, I'd rather see that undisputed 122 lbs match right away next instead of a title defense.
If I'm not mistaken, it was agreed that Marlon Tapales will indeed face the winner of Inoue vs Fulton fight for unification.
Marlon Tapales set for undisputed clash vs winner of Fulton-Inoue
So it will be great if he will be there to see the fight and probably will go up in the ring after the fight and challenge the winner for the undisputed 122 lbs.
Akhmadaliev will have to wait though, maybe he will go on another title eliminator fight before getting a crack again on whoever has the belt.
There doesn't seem to be any kind of formal agreement that guarantees him that opportunity, the WBA is just making it easier for them to negotiate that fight. A fight with Fulton would be easier to make since MP Promotions has a partnership with TGB, PBC's de facto promoter. I couldn't imagine Naoya turning down the opportunity to become undisputed and for Tapales it means a career high payday so I hope it won't be too complicated to negotiate that fight and we will have a single champion by the end of this year.