TAPALES FIGHTS IN JAPAN, RECEIVES AWARD FOR WBO REGIONAL WIN AT CEBU SPORTS AWARDS
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 27 Mar 2014
World ranked bantamweight Marlon Tapales will see action at the Sangyo Hall, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan on April 13 against Hayato Kimura. Tapales (24W-2L, 9KO?s) won the vacant WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight title last August 1, 2013 against another Filipino, Fredirex Rodriguez by unanimous decision at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. This fight was on the undercard of Tomoki Kameda?s WBO world bantamweight title win against Paulus Ambunda.
Tapales was one of the 12 boxers honored Wednesday during the 32nd staging of the Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC)- San Miguel Beer (SMB) awards. He received a citation for his WBO regional title win.
RWS gym trainer Juanito Ablaca accepted the award on his behalf. He told this writer that Tapales was having sparring sessions in the afternoon, most of the time visiting the ALA gym for quality sparring partners.
Ablaca was also very upset as to why Tapales was not given an award during the 14th Elorde Awards night last March 25.
?I was surprised that Rodriguez, who lost to Tapales in August of last year, is still the WBO Asia Pacific champion in the GAB website.? Ablaca told philboxing before the start of the Cebu Sports Awards ceremony at the Ayala Center.
?Why didn?t update their records? The fight happened last year.? Ablaca said,? That fight was on the undercard of a world title fight and even covered by GMA TV.
57 boxers received awards during the Elorde rites which included current world, international and regional champions and former champions.
A check on the Games and Amusements Board website did show that their February 2014 rankings still has Fredirex Rodriguez listed as WBO Asia-Pacific titlist with Tapales ranked number two bantamweight contender in the country. The World Boxing Organization (WBO) rankings for March 2014 clearly shows Tapales as the WBO Asia Pacific champion and he is the number nine ranked challenger to Tomoki Kameda.
Tapales' opponent this April, Kimura (21-5, 15KO's), fought in Bohol under the name Big Yoo and lost to AJ Banal by 5th round KO back in 2010.
Photo: Tapales (R) in action against Rodriguez.
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