Tapales guns for unification

In a bold move, IBF/WBA superbantamweight champion Marlon Tapales is taking a big risk in foregoing an “easy” title defense to shoot for an immediate unification against the winner of the July 25 showdown between WBO/WBC ruler Stephen Fulton and Naoya (The Monster) Inoue. Tapales’ display of confidence isn’t unwarranted. He’s a former WBO bantamweight king who knows what it takes to win big championship fights. Tapales isn’t out to just prolong his reign, he’s out to make hay while the sun shines and the sun couldn’t be brighter with a huge payday expected in a unification battle.

WBA championships committee chairman Carlos Chavez said a request from former IBF/WBA titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev’s camp was made for a direct rematch with Tapales but “although there are elements that could support it, it is not feasible to do so at this time.” Tapales scored a split 12-round decision to dethrone Akhmadaliev in San Antonio, Texas, last April. Because Tapales was the mandatory challenger, there was no rematch clause in the fight contract. Akhmadaliev could only resort to an appeal for a return bout. Instead of giving in to the Uzbek or taking on an optional “light” challenger, Tapales went for bigger game. He petitioned the WBA for approval to pursue unification and it was granted. “This bout would be a unification of the WBA, IBF, WBC and WBO titles which is a powerful reason to admit it for the sake of boxing,” said Chavez.

Tapales, 31, is the Philippines’ only reigning world boxing champion. If he hurdles either Fulton or Inoue, the southpaw from Tubod, Lanao del Norte, will become the first Filipino undisputed titlist to be recognized simultaneously by the sport’s four major governing bodies. It’s an ambitious goal but Tapales is taking a high-risk, high-reward posture. His record speaks for itself – 37-3 with 19 KOs. He’s won his last four outings, three inside the distance. Of his 37 victories, 10 came on foreign soil so he’s used to hostile crowds.

Tapales’ triumph over Akhmadaliev was hailed as “arguably the biggest upset of 2023 to date” by the London weekly trade magazine Boxing News. Tapales built an early lead then survived a late scare to win by a slim margin. Akhmadaliev didn’t conceal his disgust when the decision was announced and barged out of the ring fuming. Boxing News, however, put the outcome in perspective. “Just as it took Marvin Hagler a while to get going in his legendary match with Sugar Ray Leonard, a similar scenario played out between the two southpaws (Tapales and Akhmadaliev),” reported Jack Hirsch in Boxing News. “The Filipino was much more active over the first eight rounds. Uppercuts and jabs landed on Akhmadaliev who was reluctant to throw lefts, leading to speculation that the hand injury he had previously suffered was at play again. It was not until the last few rounds that Akhmadaliev let his hands go with frequency when Tapales started to tire and things started to turn. There was an urgency to Akhmadaliev in the final round as he went all out for a knockout. By that point, Tapales had little left and was just hanging on. Akhmadaliev waited too long to get started and will now have to live with the consequences.”