Naoya Inoue vs. Aran Dipaen: date, time, how to watch, background

Naoya Inoue will defend his bantamweight titles against aran dipaen tuesday in tokyo. Naoya Inoue (21-0, 18 KOs) vs. Aran Dipaen (12-2, 11 KOs) Naoya Inoue (left) is coming off a KO of Michael Dasmarinas in June. AP Photo / John Locher) Date : …

Naoya Inoue will defend his bantamweight titles against aran dipaen tuesday in tokyo.

Naoya Inoue (21-0, 18 KOs) vs. Aran Dipaen (12-2, 11 KOs)

Naoya Inoue (left) is coming off a KO of Michael Dasmarinas in June. AP Photo / John Locher)
  • Date: Tuesday, Dec. 14
  • Time: 7 a.m. ET / 4 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Stadium, Tokyo
  • TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
  • Division: Bantamweight
  • At stake: Inoue’s IBF and WBA titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Inoue No. 3
  • Odds: Inoue 28-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Wilfredo Mendez vs. Masataka Taniguchi, strawweights (for Mendez’s WBO title)
  • Prediction: Inoue KO 4
  • Background: Inoue will be making the sixth defense of his 118-pound title. The aptly named “Monster” has consecutive knockouts of Jason Moloney (seven rounds) and Michael Dasmarinas (three) after fighting through a broken bone in his face to outpoint Nonito Donaire in November 2019. The resident of Yokohama has stopped 10 of his last 11 opponents. He has expressed an interest in unifying all four major bantamweight titles in 2022, starting with WBO beltholder John Riel Casimero. Inoue and Casimero were expected to face one another last year but the fight didn’t happen because of COVID-19. Donaire holds the WBC title. Dipaen has won six consecutive fights — all by knockout and all in his native Thailand – since he lost a split decision to Tommy Frank in England. This is an enormous step up in opposition for the 30-year-old contender from Khon Kaen.

 

Artur Beterbiev (16-0, 16 KOs) vs. Marcos Browne (24-1, 16 KOs)

  • When: Friday, Dec. 17
  • Where: Bell Centre, Montreal
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Light heavyweight
  • At stake: Beterbiev’s IBF and WBC titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Beterbiev No. 12
  • Odds: Beterbiev 8½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Marie-Eve Dicaire vs. Cynthia Lozano, junior middleweights (for vacant IBF title); Yan Pellerin vs. Francisco Rivas, cruiserweights
  • Prediction: Beterbiev KO 10
  • Background: Will Beterbiev make it 17 in a row? The imposing 36-year-old Russian is coming off a 10th-round knockout of Adam Deines this past March, his 16th stoppage in as many fights. That victory followed the most-significant triumph of his career, a 10th-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Olekesandr Gvozdyk in October 2019. Beterbiev has been mentioned as a possible opponent for super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. He also could go after another 175-pound titleholder if he gets past Browne. Dmitry Bivol is the WBA belterholder. WBO champ Joe Smith Jr. defends against Callum Smith next month. Browne is no pushover. The 2012 U.S. Olympian from New Jersey is a polished boxer with good power. He had a break through in January 2019, when he defeated respected contender Badou Jack by a convincing decision. He lost an eight-round technical decision to Jean Pascal in his subsequent fight, the result of a cut above Browne’s eye that was caused by an accidental head butt. He rebounded to shut out Denis Grachev this past April.

 

Jake Paul (4-0, 3 KOs) vs. Tyron Woodley (0-1, 0 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 18
  • Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
  • Division: Cruiserweight
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Paul 2-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Amanda Serrano vs. Miriam Gutierrez, lightweights; Deron Williams vs. Frank Gore, heavyweights; Liam Paro vs. Yomar Alamo, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Paul UD
  • Background: Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, was fortunate to have defeated Woodley by a split decision in August yet has agreed to face the former MMA star a second time after Tommy Fury pulled out as his opponent. Paul blasted out his first three opponents, Ali Eson Gib (TKO 1), Nate Robinson (KO 2) and Ben Askren (TKO 1), but the newbie had difficulty with Woodley’s solid striking ability and experience. Woodley, 39, made his pro boxing debut in that fight. Seven-division titleholder Amanda Serrano (41-1-1, 30 KOs) is the most-accomplished fighter on the card. The unified featherweight titleholder appears to be on a collision course with undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor in what would be a huge women’s bout next year. Gutierrez shouldn’t give Serrano much trouble even though the latter is moving up from 126 pounds to 135. Gutierrez lost a near-shutout decision to Taylor in November of last year, her only fight at the elite level. And she won’t have a significant advantage in terms of natural size. Serrano has successfully moved up and down in weight, including a stint as a 140-pound titleholder.

 

Joseph Parker (29-2, 21 KOs) vs. Derek Chisora (32-11, 23 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 18
  • Where: Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Heavyweights
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Parker 2½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Carlos Gongora vs. Lerrone Richards, super middleweights; Lee McGregor vs. Narek Abgaryan, bantamweights; Jack Cullen vs. Kevin Lele Sadjo, super middleweights; Zelfa Barrett vs. Bruno Tarimo, junior lightweights
  • Prediction: Parker UD
  • Background: Parker defeated Chisora by a close, split decision this past May, which resulted in an immediate rematch. Parker won the vacant WBO heavyweight title by outpointed Andy Ruiz in December 2016, successfully defended two times and then lost his belt by a wide decision against Anthony Joshua. He followed that with a decision loss to Dillian Whyte but has won his last five outings, including the victory over his opponent in this fight. Chisora, the 37-year-old longtime contender, has lost to Oleksandr Usyk and Parker back to back but gave a good account of himself in both fights, an indication that he’s trying to make the most out of the final years of his career.

 

Gilberto Ramirez (42-0, 28 KOs) vs. Yuneski Gonzalez (21-3, 17 KOs)     

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 18
  • Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Light heavyweights
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Seneisa Estrada vs. Maria Santizo, strawweights (for Estrada’s WBA title); Lamont Roach Jr. vs. Rene Alvarado, junior lightweights; Marlen Esparza vs. Anabel Ortiz, flyweights (for Esparza’s WBC title); Luis Hernandez vs. Ruslan Madiyev, junior  welterweights
  • Prediction: Ramirez UD
  • Background: Ramirez’s career, which had sputtered after he moved up to the light heavyweight in 2019, is back on track. The former super middleweight titleholder stopped Alfonso Lopez in 10 rounds last December – his first fight in 20 months – and then knocked out longtime contender Sullivan Barrera in four rounds this past July to reestablish himself as a major player in the division. The 30-year-old Mexican is ranked in the Top 5 by three of the four major sanctioning bodies, which means his goal of fighting for a title in a second division is within reach. The beltholders are Artur Beterbiev (IBF and WBC), Dmitry Bivol (WBA) and Joe Smith Jr. (WBO). Gonzalez, a Cuban who lives in Florida, cut his teeth in the respected amateur system of his native country. The 36-year-old can box and he has power, as his last 12 victories have come by knockout. He has only been blown out once, when Oleksandr Gvozdyk stopped him in three rounds in April 2017. He took 3½ years off following that setback and returned to stop Guillermo Romero, Alex Theran and Tommy Karpency. He lost close decisions to Jean Pascal and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in 2015.

 

David Morrell (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Atlantez Fox (28-2-1, 13 KOs)     

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 18
  • Where: The Armory, Minneapolis
  • TV/Stream: Fox
  • Division: Super middleweight
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Jose Valenzuela vs. Austin Dulay, lightweights; Alberto Puello vs. Ve Shawn Owns, junior welterweights; Richardson Hitchins vs. Malik Hawkins, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Morrell KO 7
  • Background: Morrell, the former Cuban amateur star who lives in Minneapolis, is on a fast track to a title shot. He has demonstrated in his short professional career that he can box and punch. He easily outpointed previously unbeaten Lennox Allen in August of last year and then stopped Mike Gavronski in three rounds last December and Mario Cazares in one round in June. Morrell is the WBA’s “regular” titleholder, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. He’ll be fighting for the second consecutive time in his adopted hometown. Fox, who fights out of the Washington, D.C. area, lost decisively the only two times he stepped up in class. He lost a wide decision to Demetrius Andrade at 160 pounds in 2017 and was stopped by Liam Williams in five rounds in another middleweight bout in December 2019. Fox has won his last two fights, a decision over Marcos Hernandez last December and a seventh-round knockout of Manny Woods in June.

Also fighting this week: On Tuesday, Knockout CP Freshmart (22-0, 8 KOs) of Thailand will defend his WBA strawweight title against Filipino Robert Paradero (18-1, 12 KOs) in Phuket, Thailand (No U.S. TV); on Friday, Michel Soro (35-2-1, 24 KOs) will face Israil Madrimov (7-0, 5 KOs) in a junior middleweight bout in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (DAZN).