Marlon Tapales Shows Boxing Skills
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 10 Apr 2023
In a fight between two reputed big punchers, the one with the better boxing skills usually wins.
Marlon Tapales proved this again as he virtually boxed his way to a controversial 12-round split decision over his vaunted Uzbek foe, Murodjon Akhmadaliev to wrest his unified WBA-IBF super bantamweight titles at the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas Saturday night, April 8, 2023 (Sunday morning April 9, 2023 in the Philippines).
Coming from two straight knockout victories, both by second round knockout including over erstwhile top ranking Japanese Hiroaki Teshigawara in 2021 to become the mandatory challenger to Akhmadaliev, many have expected Tapales to go hammer and tongs with Murodjon who is also affectionately known as MJ.
Since he won his unified titles from American Danny Roman on split decision, MJ has had four title defenses, all but one ended by knockout. MJ falling in love with his own knockout power however proved very costly for the Uzbek warrior as in his last defense versus American Ronnie Rios which ended in a 12th round stoppage broke his left hand. Being a southpaw, Akhmadaliev had to take a nine month medical leave for his injured hand to fully heal.
But even then, many were likewise expecting him to take the fight to Tapales and break him down with his voluminous punching and incessant pressure.
But Marlon surprised everyone as he took the initiative from the opening round with his hitherto unknown boxing acumen which likewise surprised and befuddled Akhmadaliev. What was even more surprising to fans and the live spectators that is, was that Akhmadaliev failed to make the adjustment and match or even outdo the Filipino being a former amateur standout before he turned pro.
Tapales never surrendered the initiative with his fine boxing and defense up to the third quarter of the fight when Akhmadaliev started to get alive by turning on to power boxing in the hope of turning the tide and knocking out or stopping the Filipino.
Marlon stayed composed however and stuck with the magnificent fight plan prepared by his corner. What helped Tapales also was his strength and stamina never wavered, a testimony to his great conditioning which was a collaboration of his strength and conditioning coach and his nutritionist.
It was these factors perhaps that convinced two of the judges to score the fight in his favor in stark contrast to the third judge who saw Akhmadaliev as winner by incredible eight points!
May this wonderful performance of Tapales serve a lesson for us, Filipino boxing fans, particularly the casual fans and the so called ghouls who always crave for knockout win by Filipino fighters.
As most knockout artists say, a knockout will come when it comes. What is important is what you do to win before or when it does not come.
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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