MANIL A, Philippines — “Nightmare” indeed.
Marlon Tapales hardly broke sweat and simply dominated Thai opponent Nattapong Jankaew en route to a technical-knockout win to annex the vacant WBC Asia Continental super bantamweight championship Friday at the Midas Hotel and Casino in Pasay City.
Tapales, who is coming off a knockout loss against Naoya Inoue a few months ago, landed heavy shots on his way to the win on home soil.
With the two fighters trading blows early on, the fighting pride of Lanao del Norte started to pressure his opponent and landed a clean right hook at the 1:59 mark of the first round for the knockdown.
Less than a minute later, a left hook by the 32- year-old Tapales connected, dropping Jankaew for the second time.
And at the 2:15 mark of the round, an uppercut ended the bout as the home crowd cheered on.
After the win, Tapales said he is aiming to go back to the world championship picture once a gain.
His win-loss record rose to 38-4 with 20 knockouts. Meanwhile, the 27-year -old Jankaew dropped to 12-4, with three defeats coming by way of knockout.
Tapales’ win came after compatriot Reymart Gaballo absorbed a technical knockout loss against Mexico’s Kenbun Torres.
In the undercards, Yesimuhan Yeerken scored a unanimous decision victory over Reymond Yanong. Jesarial Ancajas likewise had the same outcome against Herovan Beltran.
Alvin Medura, David Santisima, Abubakar Yanon and Dan Dacles also bagged wins.
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino slugger Reymart Gaballo absorbed a tough first-round knockout loss against Mexico’s Kenbun Torres in their bantamweight clash Friday evening at the Midas Hotel and Casino in Pasay City.
The two fighters were trading blows early on in the fight, with Gaballo hitting punches.
But things quickly turned south as the Filipino was caught by a counter. At the 1:23 mark of the round, a left hook dropped the former world title challenger for the first time.
After beating the 10-count, Torres kept the pressure on, landing heavy hits. A left uppercut off a combination knocked “The Assassin” down for the second time.
Groggy, the 27-year-old pride of General Santos City tried to survive the round, but the Mexican smelled blood.
Landing punches from everywhere, a booming left hand from Torres sent Gaballo to the canvas for good.
The Filipino dropped to a 27-2 win-loss record. Both of his professional defeats came in the way of knockouts.
The 36-year-old Mexican rose to 14-5 with 10 knockouts.