Marlon Tañan Tapales (born March 23, 1992) is a Filipino professional boxer. He has held world championships in two weight classes, including the World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title from 2016 to 2017 and the unified World Boxing Association (WBA) (Super version) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-bantamweight titles in 2023.
In 2016, Tapales defeated WBO bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu by KO in the eleventh round and won his first world title.
On 7 December 2019, Tapales fought Ryosuke Iwasa for the vacant IBF super bantamweight title. During the fight Tapales suffered a concussion because of accidental head-clash. But the fight continued and Iwasa won via an eleventh-round TKO.
On 11 December 2021, Tapales fought Teshigawara, ranked #3 by the IBF at super bantamweight. Tapales managed to stop Teshigawara within two rounds.
On 8 April 2023, Tapales beat Murodjon Akhmadaliev via split decision to win the WBA (Super) and IBF super-bantamweight world titles and became a 2 weight world champion.
On August 21, 2023, it was reported that Tapales had entered into negotiations with the unified WBC and WBO super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue for an undisputed title bout. The fight is expected to take place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on 26 December 2023, and would be broadcast by ESPN+ in the United States. Tapales lost the fight by 10th-round knockout against Inoue earning his fourth defeat. Despite the loss, however, Tapales made history for being the first Filipino boxer to fight for undisputed in the 4-belt era, and the second Asian to do so.
After three consecutive victories Tapales is scheduled to fight Venezuelan boxer Fernando Toro on October 29, 2025, with the collaborations of Blow by Blow, MP Promotions, and the International Boxing Association setting the event billed as Thrilla in Manila: 50th Anniversay. It is meant as the 50th anniversary commemoration of the original Thrilla in Manila 1975 fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at the Araneta Coliseum, Quezon city, Philippines.