A few days ago, I got a message from promoter JC Mananquil informing me that Marlon Tapales’ fight in Cambodia set for this Monday is not pushing through.

No reason was given by JC but I already felt something was amiss a week before he finally made the announcement.

JC was utterly disappointed because the fight had long been planned.

Instead, JC was told about the decision to scrap the event just days before it was supposed to happen.

To make sure Tapales’ training doesn’t go down the drain, JC is relocating the fight to General Santos City on 27 April.

“Marlon needs to stay busy and active,” JC said.

You see, Tapales is rated highly by three out of four world sanctioning bodies and not keeping him busy could see his lofty ranking drop down and endanger his shot at a world crown once Naoya “Monster” Inoue leaves the super-bantamweight division and shoot for a fifth world title at featherweight.

Tapales, who bowed to Inoue in December 2023 in Tokyo, will still face Jon Jon Jet of Indonesia in the GenSan card, JC assured.

“It’s hard but Marlon needs to fight,” JC said, noting that he has to dig down his own pocket to guarantee that Tapales remains on track.

The cancellation of the event came as a shock because Tapales and Mananquil had been there last year.

Last October, Tapales won his Cambodian debut in Phnom Penh.

I remember how JC was raving about his Cambodian contacts and how they both planned to do more activities in 2025.

So when he told me that the event this coming Monday is not happening, I was surprised.

Looking back, there were tell-tale signs the 14 April show was doomed.

Firstly, the proposed location was not clear.

JC initially told me it is taking place in Sihanoukville, a coastal city three hours by land from the Cambodian capital.

Sihanoukville used to be bustling and thriving and was a backpacker’s top destination in Indochina.

But in the last five years, it has stagnated and is now off the traveler’s list of spots to visit.

Then I read somewhere that Phnom Penh is staging it.

The next thing I heard, Siem Reap was joining the fray, leaving me intrigued and suspicious.

Anyway, there’s nothing we can do about it.

Just hoping that JC’s GenSan event takes off and Tapales gets the job done so he remains relevant.

If Tapales doesn’t rise to the occasion and gets stunned, it’s going to be a double black eye for JC.

And that’s something I would hate to see given JC’s love and passion for boxing.