FORMER two-division world champion Marlon Tapales will return to the ring on April 3, 2026, for a 10-round fight against former world champion Yukinori Oguni. The match will be held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Even after losing to Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue in a world title unification fight in 2023, Tapales remains one of the top fighters in the super-bantamweight division.
The 33-year-old Filipino boxer quickly bounced back in 2024 by winning the WBC Asian Continental super-bantamweight belt after knocking out Thailand’s Nattapong Jankaew in the first round. He later defended the title by beating Saurabh Kumar via unanimous decision.
Last year, Tapales fought twice. He stopped Indonesia’s Jon Jon Jet in the third round to win the WBC International Silver super-bantamweight title. He then knocked out Mexico’s Fernando Toro in the sixth round.
Tapales is currently ranked No. 2 by the WBC, No. 3 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), and No. 5 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Meanwhile, Oguni, 37, also stayed active last year with three fights. He knocked out Filipino boxer Jon Jon Estrada in the first round, lost to Subaru Murata by sixth-round stoppage, and later bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Chainoi Worawut.
Oguni was a world champion from 2016 to 2017. He won the IBF super-bantamweight title after beating Jonathan Guzman but lost the belt in his first title defense to Ryosuke Iwasa via sixth-round stoppage.
Tapales has a professional record of 41 wins and four losses, with 22 knockouts. Oguni holds a record of 23 wins, four losses, and three draws, with nine knockouts. / EKA