Marlon Tapales had to let go of his usual aggression to outsmart Akhmadaliev —analyst

IN PHOTOS | Marlon Tapales vs Murodjon Akhmadaliev

Newly crowned WBA and IBF world super bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales had to let go of his typical aggression to emerge victorious over Murodjon Akhmadaliev, according to veteran boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino.

The 31-year-old Tapales worked behind his jab the whole night and utilized a defensive approach over Akhmadaliev throughout the fight. According to Tolentino, it was a much-needed game plan given how dangerous of a puncher the previously undefeated Akhmadaliev is.

“It is like hitting two birds with one stone. He won two world titles in one fight. It was a close fight, I thought it could have gone either way or even a draw,” said Tolentino in an interview on Sparring Sessions.

“We did not see an offensive conscious Tapales and that was good. Some say it was not exciting because Tapales changed his style, but that was what he needed. Akhmadaliev was outsmarted by Tapales.”

Tapales boxed gracefully in the first half of the bout while Akhmadaliev came alive in the second half. Unfortunately for the Uzbek fighter, he was already behind on the scorecards as he lost the bout on two of the judges’ scorecards.

“Tapales had a great start, won seven rounds at least on my scorecard. He was not as aggressive, he was careful because Akhmadaliev is a good counterpuncher,” Tolentino quipped.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News