Tapales to face Iwasa for interim title

Press Release

14/11/2019

Tapales to face Iwasa for interim title

Ex-bantamweight title holder Marlon Tapales of the Philippines and ex-122 pound title holder Ryosuke Iwasa of Japan will go toe-to-toe for the IBF interim 122-pound title on Saturday, December 7th live on Showtime from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Premier Boxing Champions event is headlined by undefeated WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo defending his title against Australia's Dennis Hogan (who was badly robbed in a recent 154-pound title challenge vs. Jaime Munguia]. The Showtime Championship Boxing telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and also features middleweight Chris Eubank, Jr. vs. Matt Korobov squaring with a WBA interim belt on the line. 
 
The non-televised undercard will feature a clash between once-beaten middleweights Immanuwel Aleem (18-1-2, 11 KOs) and Ronald Ellis (16-1-2, 11 KOs) in a ten-round fight, Ghanaian bantamweight Duke Micah (23-0, 19 KOs) in a ten-round duel against the Philippines’ Joseph Ambo (9-2-1, 6 KOs) and Australia’s Louisa Hawton (9-2, 5 KOs) battling Los Angeles-native Lorraine Villalobos (4-2, 2 KOs) for the Interim WBC strawweight title.
 
Fighting out of Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte, Philippines, Tapales (33-2, 16 KOs) captured the WBO bantamweight title in 2016 with a comeback knockout victory over Panya Uthok while down on the scorecards. The 27 year-old has fought professionally since 2008, and rides a twelve-fight winning streak into this bout. This will be his third consecutive appearance in the U.S. after scoring knockout victories over Fernando Vargas and Roberto Castañeda so far this year.
 
The 29 year-old Iwasa (26-3, 16 KOs), a former IBF champion, made his U.S debut in February with a technical decision victory over veteran contender César Juárez,. That win came on the  rebound from losing his 122-pound title to T.J. Doheny last year. Fighting out of Kashiwa, Japan, Iwasa won the title in 2017 by stopping Yukinori Oguni and defended it successfully against Ernesto Saulong. Iwasa enters December 7th the winner of seven of his last eight fights. 
 
MORE BOUTS
 
Rounding out the lineup is Harlem’s Arnold González (2-0, 2 KOs) in a four-round welterweight fight, the pro debut of heavyweight Steven Torres in a four-round showdown against Mexico’s Daniel Franco (2-2, 2 KOs), plus a pair of Dallas natives in action as unbeaten super middleweight Burley Brooks (4-0, 4 KOs) steps in for a six-round attraction while Amon Rashidi (7-1, 5 KOs) competes in a six-round bout.
 
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Lions Only Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on-sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group discounts are available by calling 844-BKLYN-GP.