New world champion: Tapales decks foe

MARLON Tapales completed his remarkable rise from obscurity by capturing the World Boxing Organization bantamweight crown in dramatic fashion Wednesday in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Unfazed in his first world title fight, the Lanao del Norte-born fighter survived a couple of knockdowns in the fifth round, before scoring an 11th round knockout to dethrone Thailand’s Pungluang Sor Singyu at the Ayutthaya City Center, about 85 kilometers north of the capital Bangkok.

Tapales immediately dedicated his victory to President Duterte, whom he said was an inspiration as they both hail from Mindanao.

“This win is for my fellow Filipinos, especially our beloved President Rodrigo Duterte,” said the 24-year-old Tapales, who became the country’s fourth reigning world champion after Nonito Donaire Jr., Johnreil Casimero and Donnie Nietes.

Thai promoters had given Tapales’ camp a tough time since arriving in Thailand, but the Filipino fighter found the perfect way to get payback with his demolition of Sor Singyu, who had previously beaten all of his Filipino foes, including AJ Banal in 2012.

Tapales took a couple of body blows and was down twice in the fifth round. But he fought back valiantly in the next round, scoring his first knockdown with a right hook on his Thai opponent, who sustained a broken jaw.

A quick combination from Tapales in the 11th sent Sor Singyu down for the count.

“I really thought that the referee was going to stop the fight when I got knocked down twice,” said Tapales.

“What made the fight great was its dramatic ending. It was a come-from-behind victory,” said Tapales’ handler Rex “Wakee” Salud.