While Tapales steadily closed the distance with inside jabs, Oguni countered with his own jab, straight punches, and precise footwork. In the second round, Oguni extended his lead hand to create space and landed a clean right straight. He also utilized “reverse one-twos” effectively, though he was occasionally pushed back by Tapales’ powerful left-to-right hook combinations.

In the third, Tapales intensified his offense, trapping Oguni against the ropes with a barrage of left straights and right hooks. Oguni showed resolve by countering with right body uppers to keep Tapales at bay, though Tapales’ own left body uppers interspersed within his combinations remained a persistent threat.

Tapales showcased not only power but tactical nuance, varying his rhythm to lure Oguni in. While his left body counters were troublesome, Oguni neutralized Tapales’ momentum in the fourth with left body hooks. In the fifth, Oguni unleashed a series of right straights to the head and body, causing a cut above Tapales’ right eye.

The fight reached its climax in the seventh round. Facing a charging Tapales, Oguni courageously fired repeated left body hooks, stalling the former champion’s movement before following up with a right body upper. With Tapales visibly damaged, Oguni pressed the advantage with his trademark right straights. As Tapales’ bleeding worsened and his focus wavered, an early stoppage seemed imminent; however, the referee paused the action for a doctor’s check, momentarily breaking Oguni’s momentum.

Nevertheless, Oguni continued the assault in the eighth, hurting Tapales with a right straight to the body. As Tapales became one-dimensional in his search for a left counter, Oguni picked him apart with disciplined one-twos.

With his body weakened and offense diminished, Tapales was controlled by Oguni’s jabs, right straights, and lateral movement through the final rounds. Oguni saw out the fight to the sound of the closing bell and thunderous cheers.

“I wanted to win, even if it wasn’t an exciting fight. I made a conscious effort not to overextend and to fight at my distance,” Oguni said smoothly after the bout. “The plan was to hold off on the body shots until after the fourth round. Tapales has power, so even when I wanted to press, I held back. Today, I was strictly focused on winning.” He then shouted to the crowd, “The next one might be a world title fight, so please keep supporting me!”

Oguni (37) improves to 24-4-3 (9 KOs), while Tapales (34) falls to 41-5 (22 KOs).

そろって計量を合格した谷口㊧と王者サンティアゴ　photo/Naoki Fukuda

“The training camp was exceptionally grueling this time,” Taniguchi remarked. While noting the added physical strain on his weight cut, he maintained that his overall conditioning is excellent, adding, “The recovery process from this point forward is crucial.” Having dedicated himself to the task of defeating Santiago, Taniguchi appeared to have thoroughly simulated various scenarios for tomorrow’s contest. “I believe it will be a truly great fight,” he said.

こちらも注目！小國㊧－タパレス　photo/Naoki Fukuda

The co-main event, a 10-round bout between Marlon Tapales (Philippines) and Yukinori Oguni (Kadoebi Jewel), features a clash of former world champions. During the weigh-in, Tapales initially exceeded the 123.5-pound limit by 30 grams; however, the Kadoebi camp accepted the result as a negligible margin of error. Oguni comfortably cleared the scales at 56.0 kg.

Tapales explained that although he had prepared to hit the target weight, the discrepancy likely arose from a difference in scales. While surprised by the reading, he remained composed, stating, “If I had been ordered to lose those [30 grams], I was prepared to do so.”

Oguni, for his part, expressed a singular focus on the result: “I want to win, regardless of how I achieve it.” With his sights set firmly on returning to the world stage, Tapales’ current rankings (including IBF No. 4) serve as a significant incentive. “My motivation is extremely high,” Oguni added.

【ＰＲ】4/3（Fri）17:45〜 [TREASURE BOXING PROMOTION 12]【U-NEXT】

初対面した谷口㊧とサンティアゴ

タパレスと小國㊨　photo/Naoki Fukuda

Also in attendance were two former world super-bantamweight champions, Marlon Tapales (Philippines) and Yukinori Oguni (Kadoebi Jewel), who meet in the co-main event. “Oguni is a good boxer. I will do my best to win,” Tapales stated, while Oguni responded, “I have devised various strategies and intend to execute them the day after tomorrow.” A profound tactical battle between the two veterans is anticipated. Former world champion and Kadoebi Jewel Gym Chairman Yusuke Kobori described Oguni’s situation as being “on the edge,” while adding with conviction, “I want him to win and demonstrate the Kadoebi spirit.”