We can’t love Marlon Tapales only if he wins

By Alex P. Vidal

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”—Christopher Reeve

IT’S not fair for some Filipino commentators and fans to belittle Marlon Tapales’ (37-4, 19 KOs), 121.5, performance and denounced him for losing by 10^th round knockout a unification title fight against Naoya “The Monster” Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs), 121.75, in Tokyo, Japan December 26.

Most Filipinos, of course, cheered for the sensational 31-year-old pugilist from Tubod, Lanao del Norte, who did his best in a gallant attempt to make history, but his best wasn’t enough.

The Monster was too strong, too fast, and too slippery for the dethroned two-division Filipino world champion, and no amount of denunciation and brickbats from unsatisfied and cruel Filipino commentators and fans could change these facts.

We can’t support, love, and appreciate Tapales’ efforts to bring honor to the Philippines only if he wins.

Losing in sports is not a mortal sin; it isn’t a badge of shame. It’s always a titanic honor to fight for your country and go down heroically with both your pride and main faculties intact.

Tapales deserves our accolades, too, and high fives even if he failed to bring home the bacon, for he was up against a man called “The Monster” who is not an ordinary world champion in this generation.

ESPN’s Mike Coppinger described Naoya as “isn’t simply the best boxer in the world — he’s an all-time great still adding chapters to his legendary career” in an article dated July 25, 2023.

This was after “The Monster” continued his climb up the mythical all-time list with yet another see-it-to-believe-it performance, a pulverizing eighth-round TKO of Stephen Fulton in Tokyo to capture the WBC and WBO junior featherweight titles.

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In that world title setto, the Japanese star didn’t just deliver a beatdown with his otherworldly speed and power; he also outboxed Fulton in dominant fashion by clearly winning every round until the stoppage.

Against Tapales, it was in round four when Inoue started to show who’s the boss when he floored the Filipino buzzsaw with a solid combination of a left-right followed by a vicious left hook.

Our friend and Japanese contact, Joe Koizumi, who covered the fight at ringside, said they thought it would be a matter of time for the Monster to finish the durable Mindanao fighter soon.

But Tapales survived and displayed his gameness and durability to make it a longer fight than expected, Koizumi reported.

The tenth, however, witnessed Naoya turn loose and connect a direct strong right without a left lead, which had Tapales reeling backward and down with the ropes behind him. The Filipino southpaw was unable to beat the count.

“I appreciate Tapales having accepted this ultimate unification bout. He was courageous and durable. But he finally collapsed with his accumulation of punishment. I’ll fight next in May,” Naoya said after the fight.

Koizumi said it fully entertained the packed-house crowd at Ariake Arena, who looked very much satisfied with Inoue’s complete coronation in just five months since his last victory over the then WBC, WBO titlist Stephen Fulton.

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CompuBox Punch Stats saw 30-year-old Naoya Inoue build up a 24-5 power punches landed advantage over the first three rounds.

Tapales came alive in the fourth round, where he threw 53 punches, his fight high. Unfortunately for him, Inoue knocked him down at the end of the round.

Despite the knockdown, Tapales’ resurgence continued. His timely counterpunching limited Inoue to single digits in landed punches in rounds seven and eight after Inoue had strung together five consecutive rounds of double-digit lands.

Tapales’ success created more openings for Inoue, who landed 23 percent of his jabs and 43 percent of his power punches, compared to 10 percent and 20 percent for Tapales.

Thirty three percent of Inoue’s landed power punches were body punches. The end for Tapales came at 1:02 of the tenth round, when Inoue knocked him down and out.

The Monster impressively collected the four championship belts as he, WBC, WBO titleholder, finally caught up with WBA, IBF ruler Tapales and dropped him with a devastating right for the count at 1:02 of the tenth of the scheduled 12 rounds.

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FOR LADIES: HOW TO TURN DOWN YOUR GUY WHEN YOU ARE TIRED. If he’s in the mood but you’re not, let him know he still makes you hot with a sexy kiss and a straightforward “I’m so exhausted, I may conk out on top of you. Let’s do it tomorrow.” (Source: Dr. Yvonne Thomas.)

CRUNCH TIME. Holiday shopping may flatten our wallet, but it could also trim our belly. As we comb the racks, let’s stand tall and squeeze our stomach muscles for five seconds (pretend we’re bracing ourselves to lift a heavy box). We’ve just done the equivalent of one sit-up, says physiologist Pete McCall, of the American Council on Exercise.

OUR ABILITY TO BUILD MUSCLES. Thirty grams of protein are needed to maximize our body’s ability to build muscles. University of Texas Medical Branch scientists found that eating 30 grams of protein at one meal helps muscle growth as much as taking in 90 grams does. Let’s try smaller meals (3 to 4 hours apart) for a more efficient approach to repairing our muscles.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA. A man shot his ex-wife to death while the victim was on her way walking to the graveyard of their 15-year-old daughter who had committed suicide. The man blamed the ex-wife for the daughter’s death. The daughter had left a suicide note that she was pregnant, and her mother would never forgive her for what she did.

STRENGTH IN A BOTTLE? A stomach enzyme could make as stronger. Protease, a digestive enzyme that helps our body break down proteins, appears to lessen muscle inflammation that occurs after resistance training, says Baylor University researchers.

BRAIN FOOD. We could cut the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by a whopping 42 percent Columbia University researchers found when they analyzed the diets of 2,136 adults over 65 that meal plans with highest intake of lefty greens, tomatoes, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower plus fish, nuts, and vinaigrette-type salad dressing, with only small amounts of full-fat dairy products, cut their odds of Alzheimer’s.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)