Former unified IBF and WBA super-bantamweight titleholder Marlon Tapales marked his return to the ring with a victory against Indonesia`s Jon Jon Jet on April 27th in General Santos City, Philippines.
Tapales found the tall, slender Indonesian opponent somewhat elusive initially, but the contest otherwise proved straightforward. Jet displayed an unconventional style but lacked significant power, largely spending the fight moving around the ring, occasionally launching brief flurries.
Tapales successfully landed straight rights and left hooks whenever he managed to connect. The decisive blow came in the third round from a left punch. It appeared to break Jet`s nose, leading to his retirement at the conclusion of the round.
With this win, increasing his record to 40-4 (21 KOs), `Nightmare` Tapales claimed the vacant WBC International Silver title, significantly improving his standing in the rankings. This victory marks Tapales` third consecutive win since his knockout defeat by the formidable Naoya Inoue towards the end of 2023. Jon Jet`s record drops to 15-2-1 (12 KOs), with both of his career losses resulting from stoppages.
On the undercard in Santos City, Joey Canoy (24-5-2, 15 KOs) secured another victory for the Philippines by stopping Vietnam`s Minh Phat Sam (10-6, 8 KOs) in the tenth round. This bout was contested for the vacant WBC International minimumweight title.
Sam proved incredibly brave and resilient, relentlessly pressing forward throughout the fight. Despite Canoy landing numerous powerful shots, Sam continued to exchange punches. In the tenth round, Canoy delivered multiple combinations. Although Sam was still actively engaging, the referee intervened, stopping the fight to protect the Vietnamese fighter.
