Who is Murodjon?
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 09 Apr 2023
Former WBO bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales of Tubod, Lanao del Norte, has a golden opportunity to claim two belts when he battles super WBA and IBF junior featherweight titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan over 12 rounds in the Boeing Center at Tech Port, San Antonio, Texas this morning Manila time.
Tapales, 30, has won 14 of his last 15 fights dating back to 2013 and enters the ring with a record of 36-3, including 19 KOs. Murodjon, 28, boasts a record of 11-0, with eight KOs after turning pro in 2018, 10 years after Tapales’ debut. The Uzbek took a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and struck gold at the 2017 Asian Championships. In Rio, Murodjon defeated Kazakhstan’s Kairat Yeraliyev and Argentina’s Albert Melian before losing to Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez on a 3-0 decision in the semifinals. A blemish in Murodjon’s amateur record was a setback to Tapales’ SanMan stablemate Jade Bornea on a third round stoppage in the 49 kg division at the Asian Junior Championships in Subic in 2013.
Bornea, who is based in Las Vegas like Tapales, is set to face IBF superflyweight ruler Fernando Martinez of Argentina in Minneapolis on June 24. He’s been sparring with Tapales, sharing tips on how to beat Murodjon in the process. Working with Tapales to prepare for the Uzbek is strength and conditioning coach Larry Wade who has trained former world champions Shawn Porter and Caleb Plant.
There is talk that Murodjon isn’t 100 percent and could be damaged goods. He’s avoided an engagement with Tapales for over a year and their duel has been postponed thrice. Last June, Murodjon’s bone in his left hand was shattered to bits in the second round of a bout against Ronny Rios whom he dropped and stopped in the 12th frame. It’s a testament to Murodjon’s resolve that despite the injury, he disposed of Rios. Before the fight, the Uzbek was down with COVID.
When Murodjon was a boy, he had a job on a ferry to earn extra money for the family. One day, on the way to work, a car ran over his right leg and cracked his femur in four places from the knee to the foot. In another accident, he fell off a carousel and smashed his left leg above the knee. “Teachers were bringing me homework,” recalled Murodjon in a Boxing News story by Phil Rogers. “I put on weight. There was no support for me at all but I was a little stubborn. I went back to the gym against my doctor’s advice. I wasn’t able to move around like the kids were moving around. I wasn’t able to use footwork as much so I had to catch them with big shots. It helped to build my professional style, to sit down on my punches and just swing, sometimes crazy, just taking guys out.”
Murodjon said he continues to learn even as a world champion. “With every single fight, every training camp, my coaches are saying that you’re getting better,” he said. “Because you shouldn’t get better in the fight. The less time you spend inside the ring, the better. It prolongs your career. But every training camp, we add something or we try to get rid of something. It’s learning on the job. I’m young in my professional career but I’m getting pushed by all the sanctioning bodies and everyone so I have to push myself every day to the limit. The process never stops. I just love fighting. I wanted to fight for the world title as soon as possible. It happened very, very quickly. Quicker than anyone ever did it aside from Leon Spinks. And right now, I’m a champion and I have my obligations to defend my belts and I respect that. That’s part of the business."
Tapales is confident of bringing Murodjon down from his pedestal. But it won’t be easy. The Uzbek is tough and durable. He has survived broken legs and a shattered bone in his hand but remains formidable. Tapales will find out soon enough if Murodjon is damaged goods or will be after their encounter.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
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