Folayang pushed Tapales to embrace underdog tag vs Inoue

MANILA, Philippines – Former ONE FC lightweight Champion Eduard Folayang urged two-division boxing bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales to turn his “underdog” tag against Japan star Naoya Inoue as motivation ahead of their unification bout in December.

The Filipino Tapales, who is currently holding the WBA and IBF world super bantamweight titles, is set face WBO and WBC super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue next month.

“I know what he is going through as an athlete, especially if he is being viewed as an underdog,” Folayang said in Filipino.

“It is normal to feel pressure, but at the same time, you can use it as motivation. It is all about perspective, especially if you know how big the stakes are,” he added.

Folayang and Joshua Pacio of Lions Nation MMA recently trained with Tapales.

Pacio, meanwhile, also offered some words of advice to the 31-year-old Tapales, saying that while the odds are stacked against him, it will all boil down to the performance inside the ring.

“I fought Japanese champions before, but we proved that we can rise above the odds,” Pacio said.

“On paper, he may be the underdog, but that does not mean that you’re not capable of winning. Inside the ring or in the cage, it’s 50-50,” the former ONE Strawweight champion added.

Folayang also underscored the importance of a relentless approach in training, which would be the key to victory for Tapales.

The Filipino holds a 37-3 boxing record with 19 knockouts.

The 30-year-old Inoue, on the other hand, is undefeated in 25 bouts, with 22 of them ending by knockout.