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Philippines, 21 Feb 2026 |
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Short break for Tapales By Joaquin Henson PhilBoxing.com Sat, 30 Dec 2023  Marlon Tapales is back in his Lanao del Norte home, reunited with his wife and three-year-old daughter after a three-month training camp to prepare for his fight against Naoya Inoue but it won’t be a long respite from the ring. Tapales, who lost in a bid to unify four world superbantamweight title belts and add The Ring Magazine strap in Tokyo last Tuesday, arrived yesterday and said he’ll return to the gym in two to three weeks. The plan is for Tapales to fight in the Philippines in May or June then set up camp in Las Vegas to get ready for a title eliminator and if the wins pile up, he’ll shoot for another world crown before next year ends. Tapales is a former WBO bantamweight and WBA/IBF superbantamweight champion. “Mananatili ako sa 122,” said Tapales. “Komportable ako sa timbang. Baka sa darating na taon, magbitaw si Inoue ng korona at umakyat sa 126 kaya magkakaroon ulit ako ng pagkakataon lumaban ng world championship sa 122. Oras ni Inoue ngayon, wala akong masabi. Magaling siya, mautak, mabilis at malakas. Pero darating din ang oras ko.” Tapales said the left hook that led to his knockdown in the fourth round was stronger than the right that decked him on all fours for the count in the 10th. He was buzzed and knelt down as referee Celestino Ruiz started to count. “Naisip kong bumangon pero ‘di na kaya ng katawan ko,” said Tapales. “Ginawa ko ang lahat at ‘di ako natakot sa kaniya.” At the start, Tapales fought from a distance and used his right jab to fend off Inoue. Then, he moved in to pound Inoue with body shots. Inoue adjusted by sliding side-to-side to throw Tapales off balance. The fight turned tactical with Tapales using a shoulder roll from a southpaw stance to narrow angles for Inoue’s right straight but the Japanese found an antidote by stepping into his strike zone with up-and-down combinations. Tapales said he couldn’t ask anything more from his training team and thanked his coaches, sparmates, management, fans and media for their support. He could’ve defended his WBA and IBF titles against an easy opponent but the opportunity to become the first Filipino undisputed champion was a chance of a lifetime. Tapales said it’s his dream to fight the best and test himself. Inoue was the better man last Tuesday and Tapales tipped his hat off to the Monster. Photo: Top Rank's Bob Arum (L) talks to Marlon Tapales (R) after the Inoue fight as MP Promotions Sean Gibbons (C) looks on. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.  |
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