PhilBoxing Exclusive: Jhack Tepora regrets weight mishap, vows to come back stronger
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 26 Jan 2019
LAS VEGAS -- Gifted with thunder and lighting in his fists, Jhack Tepora was destined to go places when he decided to lace up a pair of boxing gloves and hurt other people for a living.
He was only 17 when he turned pro last March 3, 2012. He was 19 when he first had a title belt strapped on his waist --- the Asia Pacific bantamweight diadem.
And then last July 15, 2018 he captured the interim WBA featherweight crown following a ninth round demolition of Mexican Edivaldo Ortega at the Axiata Arena in exotic Kuala Lumpur..
At just 23 years young, the hard-hitting 5-foot-6 southpaw had reached the summit of his sport. El Capitan had arrived, and to paraphrase a line in Shakespeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor," the world was his oyster.
In the undercard of the Pacquiao-Broner fight last January 19, with the entire boxing world watching on pay-per-view, Tepora was supposed to showcase the power and subliminal superiority that has allowed him to amass an unbeaten streak of 22 wins with 17 KOs.
The bright lights of Las Vegas were turned on. The stage was set.
Another page in his story-book journey was begging to be turned.
And then, puff. It all went away.
Badly. Sadly. Devastatingly.
Despite a valiant attempt --- one that included not eating solid food for three consecutive days --- Jhack failed to make weight and tipped 5.5 pounds above the 126-pound limit during the January 18 weigh-in.
Like a deck of faded, used cards, Jhack Tepora's universe at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
weighing stage.
His fight was canceled, which meant losing a fat $100,000 payday. He was vilified by reporters, mocked by his peers, and scorned by his fans.
The only saving grace was that he kept his title.
JHACK TEPORA had never ran away from anything in life, and this explains why, In the welter of heavy criticisms regarding his supposed lack of discipline, he faced the music and took responsibility of his actions.
"I got a little too confident. I've gained weight before and have always managed to shed it off in time," he told PhilBoxing.com in the vernacular during an exclusive interview at the 20th floor lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino last Saturday.
Joined by his lovely wife Dinah, a former SunStar Cebu staff writer who has since taken her cerebral talents to IBM Cebu, Jhack admitted the God honest truth: "Palabi ko ug kaon," (I ate too much) and that "midako akong ulo human sa akong away sa Malaysia" (success got to my head when I won my title fight in Malaysia).
But this is just a bend in the road for the Cebuano knockout artist. Definitely not the end of the road.
"I apologize to sir Manny (Senator Pacquiao), to my promoters, and to my fans for not making weight. I'll try my best that this doesn't happen again," Tepora said, his voice trailing with contrition.
In fairness to Jhack, he wasn't just fighting the scales.
He got a much shorter notice for his title defense against Hugo Ruiz, weeks not months. The cold streak that made Las Vegas humid to frigid on fight week shocked his body and his weight-loss regimen went so askew that he now contemplates hiring a nutritionist moving forward.
U.S. visa issues also got in the way, creating unwanted delays..
Jhack was tempted to use sibling tension as a dynamic that helped shape the unfortunate event but he chose not to air his and his brothers' dirty laundry in public. They are, after all, family and will navigate this calamity as a strong unit instead of fractured, broken pieces.
As Dinah appropriately said in her Facebook post, "Life is full of ups and downs but we still have each other."
AMEN.
The author interviews Jhack Tepora and Tepora's wife Dinah at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Photos by Daniel Guden.
"It's up to Senator Manny," Sean Gibbons told this writer when asked about Tepora's fate under MP Promotions where Jhack is under contract for three fights at $100,000 per.
Knowing Manny, a man of staunch faith, who himself strayed once upon a time, forgiveness will be easy to come around. I can promise you that.
So before you all go high and mighty on the remorseful fighter, stop and understand that the only real victim in this entire episode is Jhack Tepora.
He lost a small fortune that could have abundantly feathered his and Dinah's nest and maybe start a family.
He nearly starved himself to death, coming to a point where his entire body was cramping, he was crazy dizzy, and that he would have given his left arm for a small plate of food. Imagine the pain, the agony, the misery.
And he faced the ire of his loved ones. Think of the guilt that races through his mind and tugs at his emotions every time he closes his eyes to sleep at night.
So yeah, while Jhack broke our hearts, we need to give him a break.
He's a good kid. He made a mistake. He will be back stronger than ever.
Adversity sucks. But it's the salt that makes life delicious.
And worth living.
Editor's note: Homer Sayson is the editor of PhilBoxing.com's NBA page. A resident columnist and the U.S. editor of SPIN,ph, Sayson is also the U.S. bureau chief of Boxing News and Views, a UK-based website.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
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