FORMER PACQUIAO SPARRING PARTNER TAPIA WINS NABO JR. MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 13 Jul 2013
Former Manny Pacquiao sparring partner, Glenn Tapia, maintained his unbeaten record with a bloody 8th round TKO in a war against previously undefeated Abie Han to win the North American Boxing Organization junior middleweight title at the Texas Station Casino in Las Vegas.
The battle of undefeated young prospects on ESPN?s Friday Night Fights promoted by Top Rank was an action-packed affair.
The Jersey City boy Tapia who was very popular with Filipino fans when he served as a sparring partner of Pacquiao in Baguio City improved his record to 19-0 with 12 knockouts while the game Han of El Paso, Texas suffered his first loss to drop to 19-1 with 12 knockouts.
Boxing Scene reported that Tapia had Han in trouble in the opening round and was ?drilling Han with both hands, as he pressed him against the ropes. Han came out in the second, with his face already showing damage, trying to change the tide. Han was doing well in the third, with Tapia staging a strong rally in the final 20 seconds.?
A bad clash of heads in the fourth round opened up a cut on the left side of Han?s head even as the two fighters traded big shots wining down the round.
Han went after Tapia in the fifth round and the ?Jersey Boy? appeared to be in trouble but boxingscene.com reported that after a tough sixth round Tapia came back strong in the seventh and had Han in deep trouble. Tapia opened up a cut above the left eye of Han and dropped the Texan with a shot that nearly sent him through the ropes.
In the eighth Tapia went to the body and although Han?s cuts were bleeding badly he gamely tried to battle back but the ringside doctor had seen enough decided to stopped the fight before the start of the ninth round, giving Tapia a big win and a huge boost to his career.
Photo: Glenn Tapia poses with a fan in Baguio city.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
SUNDAY: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev Undisputed Super Bantamweight Showdown to Stream Exclusively on Top Rank’s Facebook Channel in the U.S. & UK
Fri, 12 Sep 2025National Shelter Month Run on October 25 in DGT
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 12 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: Betting Odds Reveal a Battle of Money vs. Public Opinion
By Dong Secuya, Fri, 12 Sep 2025BELFAST PRESS CONFERENCE: EVERYTHING LEWIS CROCKER AND PADDY DONOVAN SAID AHEAD OF HISTORIC WORLD TITLE SHOWDOWN
Fri, 12 Sep 2025GABRIELA “SWEET POISON” FUNDORA TO DEFEND UNDISPUTED CROWN AGAINST HIGHLY RANKED NEW FOE ALEXAS “IRON LADY” KUBICKI
Fri, 12 Sep 2025Chino Sy Tancontian is Sports Hero of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 12 Sep 2025Two (or Three) Lefts Make a Right: Francisco Guilledo to Luisito Espinosa
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Thu, 11 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Advances to 2025 World Boxing Championships Semifinals
Thu, 11 Sep 2025UNIFIED WORLD CHAMPION OSCAR COLLAZO HOSTS MEDIA WORKOUT
Thu, 11 Sep 2025Jerwin Ancajas Set for IBF Mandatory Eliminator Against Former World Champ Ryosuke Nishida; Winner Fights Naoya Inoue
By Carlos Costa, Thu, 11 Sep 2025“Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
Thu, 11 Sep 2025Local Favorite Bryce Mills Tops First Boxing Card At del Lago Resort & Casino
Thu, 11 Sep 2025Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaiman: It´s Fightweek Fight: Canelo vs. Crawford
By Mauricio Sulaimán, Wed, 10 Sep 2025Casimero comeback next month in Kyrgyzstan?
By Nick Giongco, Wed, 10 Sep 2025Team USA Concludes Day Six of 2025 World Boxing Championships
Wed, 10 Sep 2025