Tapales gets his groove back

Marlon Nightmare Tapales (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

Former world champion Marlon Tapales waited for more than a year before making his return to the ring.

His comeback fight, however, didn’t last long.

Tapales needed only one round and one punch to knock out his Tanzanian foe Goodluck Mrema on Sunday at SM North Edsa SkyDome in Quezon City.

“It feels so good to be back,” Tapales said. “I prepared really well for this.”

Tapales (31-2, 14 KOs) decked Mrema (22-4, 12 KOs) after the Tanzanian walked into a crushing right hook in the temple.

The 26-year-old Tapales fought as a featherweight for the first time after failing to make weight in his last fight in April last year in Japan.