Philippines, 13 Mar 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


TAPALES STOPS OMORI IN 11TH IN BACK AND FORTH FIGHT (PHOTOS)


PhilBoxing.com




OSAKA, Japan ? Unseated WBO bantamweight champion Marlon 'The Nightmare' Tapales, still showing the effects of his weight ordeal, dug deep inside to stop Japanese contender Shohei Omori in the 11th round in front of a raucous Japanese crowd at the full-house Edion Arena here Sunday night.

Tapales sneaked in a wicked left uppercut that hit squarely Omori's jaw in the 10th round and followed it up with an overhand right that sent Omori tumbling to the canvas for the first time. As Tapales went in for the kill, the bell saved Omori from being knocked out and extended the fight for another round. As the bell rung in the 11th, Tapales immediately went after Omori who was still obviously groggy. Tapales trapped Omori in the neutral corner and connected with a left-right combo that pushed referee Celestino Ruiz to waived off the contest. Tapales's camp was told later that Omori suffered a broken jaw.

After the 10th round, all three judges had identical scores of 95-94 giving Tapales ahead by the slimmest of margins.

The win somehow mitigated Tapales's agony of losing the title after he failed to make the bantamweight limit during Saturday's weighin.

After a feeling out first round, Tapales took control of the second round by unleashing his overhand rights and straight lefts that put Omori on the defensive. Tapales continued to put the pressure on Omori in the third but a hard left by Omori in the fourth, neutralized Tapales's offensive.

In the 5th round, Omori connected hard on the body of Tapales who appeared to get hurt. Omori trapped Tapales in the corner a threw a barrage of body shots that almost sent Tapales to the canvas. Tapales said later that he was hurt with the body shot but it was also part of their plan to play hurt to lure Omori to give his all.








In the 6th round, both boxers appeared to get winded but Tapales connected with a couple of hard rights.

In the 7th, Omori had a change of strategy and came in charging at Tapales as the bell rung that sent Tapales backing up against the ropes and made the pro-Omori crowd alive. Tapales however connected with hard counters that stopped Omori's onslaught.

In the 8th and 9th rounds, the action slowed down tremendously and both boxers threw measured punches with both their faces dripping with blood from give and take punishment until that sneaky left uppercut by Tapales suddenly changed the direction of the fight in an instant.

Tapales, from Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte, has improved his record to 30-2-0 with 13 stoppages while Omori suffered his 2nd defeat, again from Tapales, and dropped to 18-2-0 with 13 knockouts. Omori also lost to Tapales via 2nd round stoppage during their eliminator bout in December, 2015.

The WBO world bantamweight title remained vacant as Omori failed to win it outright. Zolani Tete of South Africa is now the interim champion of the same belt after he defeated Filipino contender Arthur Villanueva in the UK Saturday night.

Fighting on the Tapales-Omori undercard, Filipino Neil John Tabanao lost to Teiru Atsumi via UD in their 6-round super featherweight fight. Atsumi knocked down Tabanao in the second round.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Pavel Sosulin stops Victor Nagbe to remain unbeaten at IBA Pro 15 in Saint Petersburg
    , Fri, 13 Mar 2026
  • Nicaraguan Boxing Commission hold Annual Awards to 2025 winners
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Fri, 13 Mar 2026
  • BARBOZA JR. VS. SIMS JR. FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
    , Fri, 13 Mar 2026
  • Skye Nicolson Headlines Huge Matchroom Boxing Homecoming in Melbourne as New Kayo Sports TV Era Begins on April 29
    , Fri, 13 Mar 2026
  • Five Boxers Advance on Day Five of 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup
    , Fri, 13 Mar 2026
  • Canoy to fight Balidio on March 14 in Matanao
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 13 Mar 2026
  • Weights From ProBoxTV’s ‘Lopez vs. Gallegos’ at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, Tomorrow Night at 8 pm EDT
    , Fri, 13 Mar 2026
  • Jonny Mansour Takes on William King as One Half of a Double Main Event at Frontwave Arena’s SD Fight Night: Family Business on Saturday, April 18, 2026
    , Fri, 13 Mar 2026
  • Rising Contender Jalen “Skywalker” Walker Signs with Wise Owl Boxing
    , Fri, 13 Mar 2026
  • Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaiman: Unsung Heroes and the Value of Service
    By Mauricio Sulaimán, , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • Ronald, eldest son of boxing legend Tommy Hearns, will be his guardian and conservator
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • Remembering Gilberto Mendoza in the 10th Anniversary of His Passing
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • Air Force, Elite teams in Best of the Best Karate tourney
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • Chavez brothers to return on April 25
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • ProBox & Teiken Announce Co-Promotional Deal with World-Ranked Bantamweight Contender Katsuma Akitsugi
    , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • Team USA Earns Three More Wins on Day Four of World Boxing Futures Cup
    , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • Casimero vs Nery for WBA Gold Super Bantamweight Title April 18 in Kyrgyzstan!
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • United States Completes Day Three of 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup With Five Wins
    , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • 83 Points! Bam Adebayo makes the second-highest score in NBA league history
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • Renz Paolo Nool rules 5th Kenz Gambit Chess Tournament
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 12 Mar 2026
  • Benavidez-Ramirez presents his mega fight on "WBC Tuesday Coffe" in Mexico City
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 11 Mar 2026
  • “The Cuban Assassin" Scores Devastating 1st Round Knockout to Remain Undefeated
    , Wed, 11 Mar 2026
  • Boxlab Promotions Fighters Set to Shine on Matchroom Boxing Card March 21 in Orlando
    , Wed, 11 Mar 2026
  • World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok Update
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 11 Mar 2026
  • Full Card Taking Shape for ProBoxTV’s Martinez Vs. Aleem World Championship Event on Sat., March 21, from NOS Event Center in San Bernardino, CA
    , Wed, 11 Mar 2026




  •  



     
    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
    © 2026 philboxing.com.