Tapales triumphs in Liloan boxing

CEBU, Philippines - World title prospect Marlon Tapales outpunched a game and durable Mobile Martin of Uganda enroute to scoring a unanimous decision victory Sunday night at the fightcard put up by promoters Naris Singwancha and Rex “Wakee” Salud at the Panphil Frasco Memorial Sports Complex in Liloan. The official scores were 96-90, 96-90 and 97-89 for the pride of Rex Wakee Salud (RWS) Stable.

The action-packed match saw the undefeated Tapales knock Martin down twice, once in the fifth and another in the seventh round, but the Japan-based Martin shook these off and managed to land effective punches himself.

The bout started out on even terms, with both splitting the first four rounds. Martin proved to the favored Tapales and the crowd that he was capable of taking punches and landing his own, repeatedly surprising Tapales with counter short jabs and right straights.

Tapales, however, turned things around in the fifth when he sent Martin down to the canvass for the first time.

Momentum then swung towards RWS boxer from Lanao del Norte who dominated the next three rounds, scoring another knockdown courtesy of a well-timed counter right hook to Martin’s jaw in the seventh.

Things didn’t help for Martin who was tagged for separate one point deductions twice: one for head butting and another for an accidental headbutt that inflicted a cut on Tapales in the sixth round. The win was Tapales’ third straight over a foreign opponent and improves his record to 19-0-1 (6KO). Martin, whose real name in Martin Mubiru, dropped to 8-3, (5KOs).

In the supporting main event, Marco Demecillo Singwancha (15-0-1, 11KOs) won the interim Philippine super flyweight championship with a technical knockout win over Louie Bantigue (21-16-7).

Singwancha was the aggressor all night, scoring four knockdowns as he chased Bantigue around the ring and landed hooks to the body and overhand rights to the head.

Bantigue was content with playing a defensive game of backtracking and landing counter punches which didn’t cause any damage.

The first knockdown came in the fourth round when a series of hooks to the body dropped Bantigue. The end came in the ninth round when Singwancha sent Bantigue down three times, prompting referee Teddy Alivio to call off the bout adopting the three-knockdown rule.

 It wasn’t surprising that the night was filled with knockouts as promoter Naris Singwancha dished out $200 in cash for every KO victory.  (FREEMAN)