Thrice a week, a nondescript Filipino boxer wakes up just before sunrise, dons his training outfit and laces up for the sad and lonely trek up Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
Several weeks ago, a star fighter made that same ascent from Los Feliz in the same frequency as he got ready for a big fight.
The big difference was that Manny Pacquiao had a throng behind him; Marlon Tapales had nobody but a tail car driven by one of his persevering trainers out to supervise his morning workout.
“Sometimes, I do think about it,” Tapales told Daily Tribune from his Los Angeles lair, when reminded that just recently, Pacquiao was joined by an army of runners as he made his way to the top of Hollywood’s famous landmark.
“Even if I am just alone, I am working hard because I want to become a world champion again,” Tapales, 29, who briefly held the World Boxing Organization bantamweight crown from July 2016 until April 2017.
Tapales insists he doesn’t mind being alone during his run.
Besides, his needs are being attended to by US-based ex-fighter Ernel Fontanilla and longtime California resident Ting Ariosa, formerly a member of the Philippine boxing team’s coaching staff.
JC Mananquil of Sanman Promotions is also lending a hand to Tapales’ quest to win the world title again with MP Promotions chief Sean Gibbons leading the way.
“There are still people who support me in my bid to become a champion again and I am very thankful for that and this makes me even more determined to realize my dream,” said Tapales, who packs a 34-3 card with 17 knockouts.
Tapales, a southpaw, has been told to step up his buildup as Gibbons is working on an October fight, his first since stopping compatriot Eden Sonsona in November 2020 in General Santos City.
The crucial sparring stage of Tapales has actually kicked off with the Brickhouse Boxing Gym serving as venue of his daily training sessions strictly supervised by Fontanilla and Ariosa.
If he wins next month, don’t be surprised if you spot him being joined by a companion or two when he makes his way up the Hollywood sign in the run up to another fight.
