SPORTS

Tapales title shot gets IBF backing

Nick Giongco

The camp of Filipino fighter Marlon Tapales is moving heaven and earth to expedite his shot at Murodjon Akhmadaliev's super-bantamweight crown.

A few days ago, the International Boxing Federation ordered the two camps to come to an agreement for the mandatory title fight.

In case both parties fail to come to an agreement, a purse bid will take place on 25 October.

Tapales has been the IBF 122-lb division' mandatory challenger since January this year.

But owing to boxing's notorious wheeling and dealing, Tapales could not secure a title try at the unbeaten Uzbek.

But JC Mananquil, whose Sanman Promotions runs the affairs of Tapaes alongside Sean Gibbons' MP Promotions, has vowed to speed things up.

Tapales briefly held a world title — the World Boxing Organization bantamweight — from July 2016 until April 2017.

Tapales has been training regularly in Los Angeles the past two months.