Ex-unified champ fights in Cambodia

To keep his lofty world ranking, former unified world super-bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales returns to active duty next month in Cambodia.

Rated No. 3 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), No. 4 by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and No. 2 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), the Filipino southpaw is reportedly meeting a Thai puncher in his 2025 debut.

The last time he fought, Tapales, 32, easily beat India’s Saurab Kumar in Phnom Penh, also the site of his 30 March appearance.

Tapales and his camp are making sure he remains active so he could remain in the mix of world title candidates once Japanese pound-for-pound king Naoya “Monster” Inoue moves up in weight.

Holder of a 39-4 record with 20 knockouts, Tapales is also being guided by the influential and well-connected American dealmaker Sean Gibbons.

In the event Tapales gets the call-up to fight for one of the titles that will be vacated by Inoue, that could possibly be the last chance to win a world crown.

Tapales is one of the most accomplished Filipino boxers ever given that at one stretch, he held two world titles at the same time.

When he battled Inoue in December 2023, he was the WBA and IBF 122-lb champion while Inoue was the WBC and World Boxing Organization titleholder.

JC Mananquil, who runs the powerhouse Sanman Boxing Stable of General Santos City, represents Tapales.