EVERYTHING still seems surreal for Jhack Tepora, after coming home to Cebu City on Monday afternoon as the new interim World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight champion.

From being unknown to most except hardcore boxing fans, the 23-year-old Tepora turned into star overnight following his ninth-round stoppage of Edivaldo Ortega last Sunday morning in the main supporting bout of a stacked “Fight of Champions” show, headlined by Manny Pacquiao vs. Lucas Matthysse, in the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I’m very happy. I don’t understand how happy I am right now. A while ago, a lot of people had their pictures taken with me. In the past nobody would pose and have their pictures taken with me,” an ecstatic Tepora told SunStar Cebu.

Tepora and his team had a hero’s welcome up their arrival. Tepora was greeted by his family, friends and teammates at the Omega Boxing Gym and had a motorcade from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to the International Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Mabolo.

Tepora dropped Ortega with a well-timed right uppercut in the ninth round and then attacked him with a flurry of blows that forced the referee to stop the fight in the 2:38 mark.

“I also got hurt in that fight. He was tough, he just ate my strong punches. I just got him in the ninth round and knocked him out,” said Tepora. “Our strategy was to pile up on points and not rush it. He is a Mexican and we knew that he was tough. I also opened up myself to lure him in because he was defending very well.”

Tepora, 22-0 with 17 knockouts, admitted that Ortega was his toughest opponent to date and that he was also hurt at some point in the fight.

“I felt that he got hurt with my straight to his midsection. I got too eager and complacent and got tired,” said Tepora. “I got groggy, I think, in the first round. His punches were not weak, they had some sting in them.”

Tepora became one of four current Filipino world champions along with WBA welterweight king Pacquiao, World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweight champion Vic Saludar and International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight titleholder Jerwin Ancajas.

Tepora is set to see action one more time this year, possibly in November in an MP Promotions-promoted event.

“It depends on MP Promotions because I have three more fights with them. I’ll fight anybody out there as long as I train really well for it.” (EKA)