Tapales, Bornea Also Up Against Volume Punching Pressure Fighters
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 06 Mar 2023
Marlon Tapales (L) and Jade Bornea (R) in Las Vegas.
The quest for the Philippines next world boxing champion/s continue with Marlon Tapales and Jade Bornea set to fight respectively for the unified WBA-IBF super bantamweight and IBF super flyweight crowns in the USA on separate dates.
Tapales goes up against defending titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan in Boeing Center at Tech Port, San Antonio, Texas on April 8, 2023 while Bornea is ranged as mandatory challenger against Fernando Martinez of Argentina, two time conqueror of former long time champion Jerwin Ancajas, on a date and venue yet to be finalized by TGB Promotions most likely also in the USA within the next two months.
Last weekend, Mark Magsayo failed to join WBO minimumweight titlist Melvin Jerusalem as the Philippines other major world champion though just on interim capacity as he was defeated by the Mexican-American volume punching pressure fighter Brandon Figueroa for the vacant WBC featherweight interim crown. Magsayo used to hold the WBC regular title in the division that he won from American Gary Russell Jr early last year but he lost it to Mexican Rey Vargas. The Philippines has other world titlist in Dave Apolinario but he holds the flyweight title under the fringe International Boxing Organization or IBO.
Incidentally both Tapales and Bornea will be up against volume punching pressure fighters in Akhmadaliev and Martinez who are also exponents of that emerging fighting style made popular by Figueroa and recently by Subriel Matias. Hence it will be up to Tapales and Bornea how to handle and neutralise that style of fighting in order to win and bring home the championships.
Though that style is not entirely new as we have seen it before in such fighters as the young and prime Julio Cesar Chavez, Kostya Tzsyu, Gennady Golovkin even Ricky Hatton, Ruslan Provodnikov and in the lower weights, Manny Pacquiao, the latest version features almost non stop punching and suffocating pressure as exhibited by Figueroa in most of his recent fights, even in the highly disputed majority decision loss to stylist American Stephen Fulton, the only stain in his impeccable record.
In the past, we were already in awe of fighters who could throw a hundred of punches in one round. But today, even the so called Compubox would be challenged to keep up with the count as fighters like Figueroa often times double or triple their punches in a single attack. Not only that, they seem to maintain their energy and stamina at high level while doing that round after round.
I also wonder how current boxing toast Naoya Inoue would fare against that style of fighting as I am not convinced that Fulton beat Figueroa last year. That would not take too long as Inoue is set to fight Fulton in May. I guess if Inoue could stop or kayo Fulton, he too could handle and possibly knock out Figueroa and discredit that style of fighting. But what if Naoya loses to Fulton?
I for one am wondering if this style of fighting is the new wave of boxing after seeing Figueroa and Matias overwhelm one opponent after the other. And to think that both Akhmadaliev and Martinez are practitioner of the same style.
As early as now, it's advisable for Tapales and Bornea to thoroughly study the fighting style of Akhmadaliev and Martinez and make necessary adjustments and not rely on boxing as we know it conventionally or from usual tradition.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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