FORMER IBF and WBA super-bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales returned to action with a win over Indonesian Jon Jon Jet in General Santos City, Philippines, on April 27.
Tapales had some trouble hunting down the tall skinny Indonesian, but other than that, it was an easy night. Jet had an awkward style but little power. The visitor spent most of the fight circling the ring, occasionally lunging forward with a little burst of punches.
Tapales was able to score with some straight rights and left hooks when he could catch him, but it was a left in the third that ended the fight. It looked to have broken Jet’s nose and he retired at the end of the round.
Improving to 40-4 (21 KOs), ‘Nightmare’ Tapales picked up the vacant WBC International Silver title, giving him a much-needed rankings boost. Tapales has now won three in a row since a knockout loss to the imperious Naoya Inoue in late 2023. Jon Jet falls to 15-2-1 (12 KOs), with both losses coming via stoppage.
On the Santos City undercard, Joey Canoy, 24-5-2 (15 KOs), made it a Philippines double as he halted Vietnam’s Minh Phat Sam, 10-6 (8 KOs), in the 10th round of a fight for the vacant WBC International minimumweight title.
A tremendously game and tough Sam never stopped walking forward. Canoy hit him with everything, but Sam continued throwing punches. In the 10th, Canoy landed combination after combination. Sam was still taking the fight to Canoy when the referee saved the Vietnamese boxer from himself with a stoppage.
