Naoya Inoue KO's Marlon Tapales in 10 to claim second undisputed championship

Undisputed again.

Japanese star Naoya Inoue scored a 10th-round knockout of Marlon Tapales on Tuesday in Tokyo to capture the undisputed junior featherweight championship and his second undisputed title in 377 days.

"The Monster" landed two right hands that split the guard and put Tapales down for the count following a systemic breakdown over the second half of the bout. After the second shot connected, Tapales dropped to a knee and was counted out at 1:02 of round 10.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) also dropped Tapales in the fourth after catching him with a left hand and followed up by a combination of punches that overwhelmed his opponent.

"I think [junior featherweight] is my weight class for now so, in 2024, I would like to show myself at [junior featherweight] in even stronger form," Inoue said through an interpreter.

"I am so happy that I got the knockout in such a decisive manner."

Inoue, 30, won the undisputed 118-pound championship last December with an 11th-round KO of Paul Butler, who hardly made an attempt to engage in their bout and was in survival mode from the onset, yet still was unable to hear the final bell. He made his 122-pound debut in July, knocking out then-unbeaten unified titleholder Stephen Fulton

Tapales (37-4, 19 KOs) landed more effective punches than Fulton, but like the American, he was dominated. The Filipino landed 52 punches in 10 rounds compared to Fulton's 47 connects in eight rounds. Tapales was coming off an upset win over Murodjon Akhmadaliev in April via split decision to win the WBA and IBF titles.

The 31-year-old Tapales, a former 118-pound champion, was able to connect with a slew of right hands that backed up Inoue, but was unable to maintain his momentum. He fought from a high guard to fend off Inoue's explosive power for as long as he could, but eventually, like so many other Inoue opponents, he was disposed.

It has been more than four years since an Inoue opponent has gone the distance. That man was Nonito Donaire in FightNights' 2019 Fight of the Year. However, Donaire was blown out in the second round of a rematch held a year ago.

In Round 4, both fighters traded hooks to the body, but Inoue eventually won the battle. Moments later, he caught Tapales with a left hook before following up with a fiery combination that put him on the canvas.

Inoue pursued the knockout, but Tapales was able to keep Inoue off of him with a series of right uppercuts in the fifth round. He did the same thing in the seventh round behind his jab.

Eventually, Inoue proved to be too much for Tapales and scored his seventh consecutive knockout. However, he credited his opponent for hanging tough.

"He never showed me fatigue or damage from his face, so I was quite surprised when he went down in the 10th round," said Inoue.

"It was one of the most intense fights I've had before, probably, but my corner cheered me up and kept me focused throughout the bout."

Inoue could next face Luis Nery. The Mexican scored a KO win over Azat Hovhannisyan in a WBC title eliminator in February.

He's already secured his spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, but as he painfully exemplified on Tuesday, his reign of terror is far from over.