MARLON Tapales will be patiently waiting for that single mistake or that opening late in the fight, when fatigue will most likely sink in, before going in for the kill against fellow former world champion Ryosuke Iwasa on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019 (PHL time), at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York.
“We’re ready. Marlon is well conditioned and he’ll show an impressive fight tomorrow (today). We won’t take our chances against Iwasa because he’s strong and tough. We won’t let our guard down in the early rounds. We will be looking for a knockout in the later rounds that’s why we need the right timing,” ex-world champion-turned-boxing coach Rodel Mayol told SunStar Cebu.
Tapales is fighting Iwasa for the interim International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight belt, with the winner earning the right to face off with regular IBF champion Daniel Roman.
“I believe I can take Iwasa’s power,” said the 27-year-old Tapales, who trained in the US for this fight. “I think I have enough power to do that (knockout). I have very good conditioning, so I think I can knock him out in the later rounds with the proper timing and a clear punch.”
Iwasa has been knocked out or stopped twice already in his 11-year career.
Tapales and his team know that Iwasa has the knockout power and has already devised a strategy on how to negate his power.
“He has a strong overhand left. That’s Iwasa’s killer punch. We have a strategy to counter that. Marlon has to find his distance because Iwasa has a height advantage. Marlon has to come in before throwing his combinations and also time his power punches,” said Mayol.
“I need to go inside so that I won’t be at a disadvantage because of his reach,” echoed Tapales.
Iwasa’s knockout rate is well above 50 percent. Some of his knockout victims are Filipinos Glen Medura and Dennis Tubieron and World Boxing Association (WBA) No. 3 rated super bantamweight Yukinori Oguni.
Tapales and the 29-year-old Iwasa easily made weight at identical weights of 121.5 pounds.
Tapales is 33-2 with 16 knockouts, while Iwasa is 26-3 with 16 knockouts. (EKA)