Marlon Tapales dismisses speculations that Akhmadaliev is afraid of him, says it's his biggest fight

Former bantamweight world champion Marlon Tapales is not buying the narrative that WBA and IBF world super bantamweight Murodjon Akhmadaliev is afraid of fighting him.

The pair is finally scheduled to clash on April 8 in San Antonio, Texas, after getting postponed several times. The postponements ultimately led to Tapales taking almost a year away from the ring, leading many fans to believe that the champion is intentionally delaying the fight.

"It never crossed my mind that a champion is avoiding me because he is a champion. Us boxers do not avoid fights whoever we are fighting, we are fighting," Tapales said in an interview on Sparring Sessions.

The 28-year-old from Uzbekistan is an unbeaten southpaw holding a record of 11-0 with 8 knockouts and is known for having power in both hands. According to Tapales, his upcoming fight is the biggest yet in his career.

"Perhaps there were reasons like preparation because this is a big fight," Tapales said.

"Same with me, I have to prepare because I am the challenger and this is the biggest fight of my career. I do not think he tried to avoid me or he wanted a big fight. I was just patient that the fight would happen."

—MGP, GMA Integrated News