Less than four weeks before the biggest fight of his career, Marlon Tapales ramped up the strength and conditioning facet of his buildup in his Las Vegas training camp.

Tapales, who guns for the twin titles of Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev on 8 April in San Antonio, Texas, was still on the road and on the tracks early Monday evening.

It’s already crunchtime for Tapales, who attempts to dethrone Akhmadaliev as World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight crowns at the Boeing Center at Tech Port.

But the Filipino southpaw is unfazed and is in fact eager to square off with the unbeaten two-belt titleholder.

“I can’t wait to fight him,” Tapales said from Las Vegas yesterday.

Preparations are on the right track.

Tapales has been getting topnotch sparring from ex-world champion Jerwin Ancajas, Aaron Alameda of Mexico and undefeated Victor Santillan of the Dominican Republic.

Ancajas stays with Tapales and another Filipino boxer, world-rated bantamweight Jade Bornea, in a house in Las Vegas.

According to Sean Gibbons of MP Promotions, Team Tapales are flying out of Sin City on 4 April.

When that time comes, Tapales would be tapering off and focused on getting down to the division limit of 122 lbs.

According to oddsmakers, Akhmadaliev is the strong betting favorite to make a successful defense — his fourth — of the WBA and IBF titles.

Tapales, though, is a live underdog.