Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs Marlon Tapales Preview April 8th, 2023
Unbeaten IBF and WBA Super Bantamweight Champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan will be defending his crowns against former Bantamweight Champion Marlon Tapales of the Philippines this Saturday, April 8th. The 12-round bout between the two southpaws can be seen live in most nations on DAZN from San Antonio, Texas. Akhmadaliev beat Danny Roman by split decision in January, 2020 to win the belts and defended them against Ryosuke Iwasa by fifth-round stoppage in in April, 2021, then beat Jose Velasquez by a unanimous decision in November and most recently halted Ronny Rios in the 12th round last June. Tapales last boxed in May when he stopped Jose Estrella in the second round with a body shot.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Akhmadaliev vs Tapales Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Marlon Tapales +350
- Murodjon Akhmadaliev -500
My Pick
The 28-year-old Akhmadaliev is a perfect 11-0 with 8 Ko’s and obviously has a lot of power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 72.7 per cent. He made his pro debut in 2018 and has 69 rounds of experience under his belt. He enjoyed a successful amateur career as he won a bronze medal in the bantamweight division at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a silver at the 2015 World Amateur Championships in Doha, Qatar where he was beaten in the final by Ireland’s Michael Conlan.
Akhmadaliev reportedly reportedly went 300-20 as an amateur with 80 Ko’s. He also won silver at the 2012 World Youth Championships and was the Uzbekistan National Champion in 2013 and 2014. He was the silver medallist at the 2015 Asian Championships and won gold at the same event two years later. He gained experience by boxing for the Uzbek Tigers in the 2016 and 2017 World Series of Boxing (WSB). Akhmadaliev stands just over 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 68-inch reach.
Since turning pro, Akhmadaliev has brought his power along for the ride. He stopped Isaac Zarate in the ninth round for the WBA Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight Title in November, 2018 in his first defence after halting Ramon Contreras in just 80 seconds three months earlier to win the vacant crown. He won his world titles in just his eighth pro bout and doesn’t have much experience in the pro ranks against the upper echelon just yet but his wins over Roman, Iwasa, Velasquez and Rios were all impressive and he has a wealth of amateur experience to fall back on.
The 31-year-old Tapales climbs through the ropes with a mark of 36-3 with 19 Ko’s and has boxed 246 rounds since making his pro debut in 2008. He’s been beaten by Brix Ray by stoppage after the sixth round in 2009 in a fight for the Filipino Flyweight Title and dropped a 12-round majority decision to David Sanchez in 2013. He was also stopped by Ryosuke Iwasa in the 11th round in 2019 for the interim IBF Super Bantamweight Title.
Since turning pro Tapales has captured the Filipino Light Flyweight crown as well as the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight title. He won the WBO Bantamweight Title in 2016 when he stopped Panya Uthok in the 11th round and then lost it on the weight scales in his next outing against Shohei Omori despite stopping him in the 11th round. Tapales also owns wins over Armando de la Cruz, Randy Petalcorin, Warlito Parrenas, Richard Olisa, Hayata Kimura, Goodluck Mrema, Eden Sonsosa, Fernando Vargas Perra and Roberto Castaneda.
Tapales measures 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 65-inch reach which means he gives up 1.5-inches in height and three inches in reach to Akhmadaliev. As far as power is concerned, he’s about average as his current knockout ratio stands at 48.7 per cent. That being said, his last 10 wins have all come by stoppage. Tapales is a fan-friendly boxer due to his tendency to drop or be dropped by his opponents during fights.
Prediction…
Akhmadaliev, who fights out of Indio, California is a fine boxer with good power and doesn’t really lack anything other than pro experience. Tapales will give it his best shot as he usually does and this should be an exciting fight. However, I’m expecting Akhmadaliev to retain his belts and undefeated record on Saturday night.
The power of Akhmadaliev should be the difference.
Play: Akhmadaliev -500@ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Marlon Tapales betting • Murodjon Akhmadaliev betting