Marlon Tañan Tapales (born March 23, 1992) is a Filipino professional boxer. He has held world championships in two weight classes, including the World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title from 2016 to 2017 and the unified World Boxing Association (WBA) (Super version) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-bantamweight titles in 2023.
Professional career
WBO bantamweight champion Tapales vs. Sor Singyu In 2016, Tapales defeated WBO bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu by KO in the eleventh round and won his first world title.
Tapales vs. Iwasa On 7 December 2019, Tapales fought Ryosuke Iwasa for the vacant IBF super bantamweight title. During the fight Tapales suffered a concussion because of accidental head-clash. But the fight continued and Iwasa won via an eleventh-round TKO.
Tapales vs. Teshigawara On 11 December 2021, Tapales fought Teshigawara, ranked #3 by the IBF at super bantamweight. Tapales managed to stop Teshigawara within two rounds.
Unified WBA(super) and IBF super bantamweight champion Tapales vs. Akhmadaliev On 8 April 2023, Tapales beat Murodjon Akhmadaliev via split decision to win the WBA (Super) and IBF super-bantamweight world titles and became a 2 weight world champion.
Undisputed super bantamweight title fight Tapales vs. Inoue On August 21, 2023, it was reported that Tapales had entered into negotiations with the unified WBC and WBO super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue for an undisputed title bout. The fight is expected to take place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on 26 December 2023, and would be broadcast by ESPN+ in the United States. Tapales lost the fight by 10th-round knockout against Inoue earning his fourth defeat. Despite the loss, however, Tapales made history for being the first Filipino boxer to fight for undisputed in the 4-belt era, and the second Asian to do so.
Thrilla in Manila: 50th Anniversary
After three consecutive victories Tapales is scheduled to fight Venezuelan boxer Fernando Toro on October 29, 2025, with the collaborations of Blow by Blow, MP Promotions, and the International Boxing Association setting the event billed as Thrilla in Manila: 50th Anniversary. It is meant as the 50th anniversary commemoration of the original Thrilla in Manila 1975 fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at the Araneta Coliseum, Quezon city, Philippines.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes47Win42–5Nirun BaonokKO2 (8)Sep 26, 202646Loss41–5Yukinori OguniUD10Apr 3, 202645Win41–4Fernando ToroKO6 (8), Oct 29, 202544Win40–4Jon Jon JetRTD3 (10), Apr 27, 202543Win39–4Saurabh KumarUD10Sep 7, 202442Win38–4Nattapong JankaewKO1 (10), May 10, 202441Loss37–4Naoya InoueKO10 (12), Dec 26, 202340Win37–3Murodjon Akhmadaliev12Apr 8, 202339Win36–3Jose EstrellaKO2 (8), May 14, 202238Win35–3Hiroaki TeshigawaraTKO2 (12), Dec 11, 202137Win34–3Eden SonsonaTKO2 (10), Nov 21, 202036Loss33–3Ryosuke IwasaTKO11 (12), Dec 7, 201935Win33–2Roberto CastanedaKO3 (10), Jun 1, 201934Win32–2Fernando Vargas ParraRTD5 (10), Feb 16, 201933Win31–2Goodluck MremaKO1 (10), Sep 30, 201832Win30–2Shohei OmoriTKO11 (12), Apr 23, 201731Win29–2Pungluang Sor SingyuKO11 (12), Jul 27, 201630Win28–2Shohei OmoriTKO2 (12), Dec 16, 201529Win27–2Jecker BuhaweUD10Jan 31, 201528Win26–2Fadhili MajihaUD12Jun 28, 201427Win25–2Hayato Kimura5 (10), Apr 13, 201426Win24–2Galih SusantoUD10Feb 8, 201425Win23–2Fredirex RodriguezUD12Aug 1, 201324Win22–2Ruben ManakaneTKO4 (10), May 26, 201323Loss21–2David SánchezMD12Feb 23, 201322Win21–1RasmanudinKO2 (8), Oct 20, 201221Win20–1Rex OlisaTKO3 (10), Nov 17, 201120Win19–1Martin MubiruUD10Oct 9, 201119Win18–1Manot ComputKO4 (10), Jun 25, 201118Win17–1Alejandro SolorioMD6May 6, 201117Win16–1Charlie Cabilla1 (10), Feb 6, 201116Win15–1Rey MegrinoUD10Nov 5, 201015Win14–1Richard OlisaUD10Oct 6, 201014Win13–1Charlie CabillaUD12Jun 12, 201013Win12–1Warlito ParrenasTKO7 (12), Apr 9, 201012Win11–1Randy PetalcorinTKO2 (8), Jan 23, 201011Win10–1Armando de la CruzUD10Nov 8, 200910Win9–1Jerson MancioUD10Aug 29, 20099Loss8–1Brix Ray6 (10), May 30, 20098Win8–0Michael RodriguezUD10Apr 19, 20097Win7–0Rodel TejaresUD10Mar 25, 20096Win6–0Ryan TampusUD8Jan 15, 20095Win5–0Charlie LamilaTKO1 (6),Dec 27, 20084Win4–0Freddie MartinezUD6Nov 19, 20083Win3–0Jherom Tuyor6Sep 20, 20082Win2–0Sherwin McDo Lungay4Aug 23, 20081Win1–0Nestor Gamolo1 (4), Jul 18, 2008
See also List of southpaw stance boxers List of world bantamweight boxing champions List of world super-bantamweight boxing champions List of Filipino boxing world champions
References
External links
Marlon Tapales - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings at Box.Live