Philippines, 18 Jul 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Tapales on way back to throne


PhilBoxing.com




Former WBO bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales is back on track for another shot at the world title and now that he?s based in Los Angeles staying in trainer Rodel Mayol?s apartment, the Tubod, Lanao del Norte, slugger isn?t straying from keeping a sharp focus on the throne.

Tapales, 26, was stripped of the WBO belt in his first defense for scaling two pounds over the limit in 2017 then took a layoff of nearly 1 1/2 years before returning to demolish Tanzania?s Goodluck Mrema in one round at the SM City North EDSA Skydome. Last weekend, he stopped Mexico?s Fernando Vargas Parra in the fifth round at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to raise his record to 32-2, with 15 KOs. He has won his last six outings inside the distance, five over foreigners.

Against Parra, Tapales launched a brutal body attack that forced the Mexican to surrender on his stool before the start of the sixth round. Parra went down late in the fifth and looked in no condition to continue. Referee Wayne Hedgpeth declared Tapales the winner by knockout under California rules.

Mayol, a former WBC lightflyweight titleholder now living in Los Angeles, said after one more tune-up fight, Tapales will be ready for another title shot. He?s ranked No. 6 in the superbantamweight division by both the IBF and WBO. The IBF champion is Irish-born Terence J. Doheny of Australia while the WBO ruler is Emanuel Navarrete of Mexico.

?Marami pa siyang kulang especially since umakyat siya ng timbang,? said Mayol. ?Magagaling ang mga champion sa 122 but sa tingin ko, kaya ni Tapales talunin lahat kaya lang kailangan niyang mag-insayo pa yung timing sa suntok at pag-kuha ng distance sa kalaban at pag-deliver ng malalakas na buntal at kailangan hindi paisa-isa, dapat combination of punches. Ang kagandahan kay Tapales ay veteran na siya. Madali siyang maka-adjust kung may changes ang kalaban. Finally, kailangan niyang tibayan ang depensa at palakasin ang stamina.?

Watching Tapales at ringside in Los Angeles were former two-time world champion Gerry Penalosa?s wife Goody and son J. C. and Cebu boxing manager Rex (Wakee) Salud?s son Ryan. Tapales is co-managed by GerryPens Promotions, MP Promotions and Salud.

Penalosa said Tapales will stay in Los Angeles and continue training with Mayol. It?s possible that Tapales? next fight will be a title eliminator so he?ll be one win away from a championship crack. Penalosa said Las Vegas international matchmaker Sean Gibbons is helping out Tapales to gain a second shot at the world title. ?Marlon could become a world champion again and all he needs is more focus,? said Penalosa.

There?s no question Tapales has talent, skills and heart. When he won the WBO bantamweight title in 2016, Tapales survived two trips to the canvas in the fifth round and dropped defending champon Pungluang Sor Singyu in the sixth and 11th enroute to scoring an 11th round stoppage in Thailand. He was behind in two of the three judges scorecards at the time of the stoppage by Puerto Rican referee Ramon Pena.

Checking in two pounds over the limit was unforgivable as Tapales was dethroned on the scales before his first defense against Japan?s Shohei Omori in Osaka in 2017. The fight went on with the WBO declaring that if Omori won, he would be the new champion but if Tapales won, the throne would be vacant. As it turned out, Tapales knocked out Omori in the 11th round but walked out of the ring a former champion.

Doheny, 32, has a record of 21-0, with 15 KOs while Navarrete, 24, totes a 26-1 mark, with 22 KOs. Mayol said he?s confident that Tapales will beat either champion in a showdown. If Tapales wins his next fight, he should get a crack at Doheny or Navarrete before the year ends.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Pacquiao Promises Surprise Against Barrios
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 18 Jul 2025
  • PACQUIAO VS. BARRIOS UNDERCARD MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES
    , Fri, 18 Jul 2025
  • Rosaupan rules Pasay rapid chess championship
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 18 Jul 2025
  • Blu Girls Fall to China in Nail-Biter, Slip to 5–2 in Asia Cup
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 18 Jul 2025
  • The 19th Thousand Island Cup Philippine Xiangqi Open tournament on August 3
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 18 Jul 2025
  • Pacquiao’s Legacy in Motion: PacMan contra El Azteca
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Blu Girls Crush Singapore 13-0, Set Sights on China in Asia Cup Showdown
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Laylo, Dableo to play in Baguio Open
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Pacquiao Shines in Final Press Conference: Can The Pacman Defeat Father Time and Barrios? (Analysis & Prediction)
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • More lucrative fights await Manny Pacquiao
    By Leo Reyes, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Rumors about Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Tapales, Laurente to help Inoue against MJ
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • AL BERNSTEIN, CHRISTY MARTIN AND ERIC BOTTJER TO SERVE AS ALL-STAR COMMENTARY TEAM FOR THIS FRIDAY’S ‘LOPEZ VS. VARGAS’ EVENT
    , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • SALITA PROMOTIONS CONGRATULATES SUBRIEL MATIAS ON BECOMING THE WBC SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION
    , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Gaisano Grand Cup Season 20 opens August 3
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • 3 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Shane Mosley Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
    , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • HALL OF FAMER MANNY PACQUIAO SET TO CHASE HISTORY YET AGAIN THIS SATURDAY NIGHT IN WORLD TITLE FIGHT AGAINST MARIO BARRIOS
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimàn: New York, a Special Place for Boxing
    By Mauricio Sulaimán, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua talking for a possible fight?
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Philippines Rolls Past Pacific Oceania in Davis Cup Group IV Opener as Cebuana Lhuillier Ambassadors Set the Pace
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • QUOTES FROM TONY HARRISON’S OPEN MEDIA WORKOUT TODAY IN DETROIT
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • 3-Time World Champion Miyo Yoshida is tired of playing Boxing’s dreaded waiting game
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • RP Blu Girls Dominate India to Strengthen Asia Cup Campaign
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Pacquiao-Barrios Betting Odds in Las Vegas: Where Are Bettors Placing Their Money?
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Because Comebacks Matter: Pacquiao Fights for Us All
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.