He has done it before, so Marlon Tapales sees no reason why he can’t knock out Shohei Omori again.
Unlike in 2015, however, when he stopped the then unbeaten Japanese in only two rounds, Tapales is bracing for a longer, tougher fight in his first defense of the World Boxing Organization bantamweight crown in Osaka, Japan.
For one, Omori has learned his lesson not to rely solely on records. When they first fought, Omori held a 15-0 card with 10 knockouts while Tapales toted a 28-2 record with just 11 KOs to show. Now Omori is 18-1 with 13 KOs and Tapales (28-1, 13 KOs).
Omori has also demonstrated stronger punching power, knocking out his last three opponents, including Filipino Rocky Fuentes, a former world title contender, last year.
Already, Tapales has logged over 100 rounds of sparring at the gym of his manager, Rex “Wakee” Salud, in Cebu.
Tapales said he’d definitely go for a knockout to avoid complications of a decision.
Salud told the Inquirer Saturday that Tapales’ sparring sessions are over and he’ll just be tapering down for the 12-round bout set at Edion Arena.
Tapales continued training even during Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday.