SAN ANTONIO, Texas — In a stunning upset, Marlon Tapales of the Philippines fulfilled his promise of stealing Murodjon Akhmadaliev’s twin titles by scoring a controversial 12-round split decision victory Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) at the Boeing Center at Tech Port.
The win gave Tapales, a huge underdog, the Uzbek’s Word Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight titles, and the conquest may have earned him a shot at becoming the undisputed champion.
Sergio Caiz Jr. of California scored it 115-113 for Tapales while Jaier Alvarez of Texas saw it 118-110 for Akhamadaliev and Jose Robert Torres, also of Texas, also had it 115-113.
During the press conference and official weigh-in, Akhmadaliev had told Tapales that he would retain the crown for the fourth time.
“He kept on saying ‘and still (champion) and still (champion),’” Tapales said inside his dressing room in Tagalog.
“And I remember telling him that I would steal his two belts. I am so happy because that’s just what I did. Steal his titles,” the new champion said.
The loss was Akhmadalaiev’s first defeat in 12 outings while the triumph raised Tapales’ record to 37-3 with 18 knockouts.
The decision came as a shock to the majority of the fans who attended the event as Akhmadaliev seemed to be the busier of the two.
Tapales took a lot of heavy shots even if he managed to block many and rolled with countless blows as well.
But Tapales also delivered and rocked Akhmadaliev with his trademark left uppercut in the second round, its impact causing his knuckle to swell.
“I could not throw it in full force later on,” Tapales added.
Next up for Tapales will truly be a big one.
Before the fight, he was assured of getting a shot at the winner of the 22 July battle between Naoya Inoue and Stephen Fulton in Tokyo.
‘I am so happy because that’s just what I did. Steal his titles.’
Tapales will be at ringside when that fight happens to drumbeat the bout, hopefully against Inoue, who is favored to beat Fulton and become a four-division champion.
Meanwhile, Tapales will spend a well-deserved vacation for winning, a novelty given that he didn’t just bag one crown but two in what should go down as a prime candidate for 2023’s upset of the year.
Before heading back to the Hyatt Regency to celebrate, Tapales and some of his handlers paid Akhmadaliev a visit.
On board the packed shuttle, the atmosphere was electric and loud.
Tapales kept on getting calls from well-wishers while those on board couldn’t control themselves as they kept shouting and singing during the 20-minute trip.
