WHO?S NEXT?: GETTING TO KNOW JHACK TEPORA
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 29 Feb 2016
CEBU - He has appeared on television only three times since he turned professional and despite winning a regional belt, the name Jhack Tepora still escapes the casual fight fans here in the Philippines.
The 22 year old undefeated southpaw wants his relative anonymity to change.
?I want to show that the IPI-Omega Gym has good boxers,? Tepora told this writer Sunday in an interview after his public workout at the Robinson?s Galeria. ?My stable mates feel the way. We want to show the fans what we can do.?
Tepora (16W-0L,11KO?s) turned pro in 2012. He started boxing at age seven and competed in his first tournament when he was eight years old.
?I wanted to be a boxer because of my older brother, Pingping.? He said, referring to his older brother who is a former prizefighter and now a trainer at the Omega gym.
?I was a five time national champion and got the best boxer award once,? Jhack recalled his amateur career , ?I was recruited to the national team by the ABAP, and represented the Philippines twice in tournaments abroad but I wanted to turn pro.?
Tepora is from Liloan,Cebu and just like most Filipinos, plays basketball in his spare time He would have wanted to be a basketball player if it wasn?t for boxing.
?I have many favorite boxers..Pacquiao, Mayweather, Amir Khan, Oscar dela Hoya. I want to fight like Dela Hoya. I looked to him when I was an amateur, and admired his success even before he turned pro.? Tepora said, ?Dela Hoya and I have the ring moniker.?
Tepora is also known as the ?Golden Boy? due to his amateur success here in Philippine tournaments. As a professional, he won the WBF Asia-Pacific superbantamweight title in 2014 and the Philippine Boxing Federation (PBF) title last month. But he wants more.
?I want to win a world title someday. Earn more money to help my family.? Tepora has a wife and two kids, both boys and he said that he would support them if they decide to become boxers like him.
An interesting side note is that his brother Pingping did train the lone world champion to come out of the Omega Gym, Johnriel Casimero.
Jhack plans to set up his own business once he retires. ?Maybe if they hire me as a trainer, I will do that as well.?
Tepora will be pitted against Jason Tinampay on March 6 for the vacant WBO Youth Asia-Pacific super bantamweight title. The fight will be held at the Atrium of Robinson?s Galleria here in Cebu and will serve as the opening salvo for the WHO?S NEXT? Pro Boxing Series.
Last February 12, OMEGA Pro Sports International Corporation had a press launching for the ?Who?s next? Pro-boxing series?, programmed to showcase their new talent and reintroduce to the boxing public the quality fighters that they already have.
?I have not seen any of Tinampay?s fights but I heard he is an aggressive fighter so this will be a good fight.? He said, ?I would like to invite the fans to come and support us on March 6.?
The regional belt will serve as Tepora?s opportunity to barge into the top fifteen rankings of the World Boxing Organization.
Penned to appear on the undercard are Virgelio Silvano vs Fernando Ocon, Mark Vicelles vs Ronald Cajes, Ar-ar Borbon vs Russel Rosales, Allan Villanueva vs Mac-mac Baribar, Fil-jun Taneo vs Anthony Galigao, Jerry Castroverde vs Ryan Quimbo.
Top photo - Jhack Tepora, below Tepora skipping rope during the WHO'S NEXT? public workout inside Robinson's Galeria last Sunday
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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