Tapales faces Estrella in Los Angeles

INTERNATIONAL Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 1 ranked super bantamweight Marlon Tapales keeps himself busy, in preparation for a future world title shot, and takes on Mexican journeyman Jose Estrella in an eight-rounder on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Tapales awaits the winner of the world title clash between IBF and World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight king Murodjon Akhmadaliev and Ronny Rios scheduled on June 25 in San Antonio, Texas.

After losing to Ryosuke Iwasa by an 11th round technical knockout in an interim IBF super bantamweight title fight in 2019 in Brooklyn, New York, Tapales, 30, successfully bounced back with back-to-back knockout wins over Eden Sonsona and Hiroaki Teshigawara.

Tapales is also the No. 9 rated super bantamweight by the World Boxing Organization (WBO).

Tapales is a former WBO bantamweight champion. He won the belt with an 11th round knockout of Panya Uthok in Thailand in 2016.

On the other hand, Estrella, 32, has fought some elite names in his weight division, the likes of Luis Nery, Diego dela Hoya, Christopher Diaz and Manny Robles.

Estrella is coming off a third round knockout loss to Saul Sanchez last December.

Tapales is 35-3 with 18 knockouts, while Estrella is 23-18-1 with 16 knockouts.

The Tapales vs. Estrella fight is one of the undercard bouts of the super welterweight world championship unification rematch between WBC, WBA and IBF super welterweight titleholder Jermell Charlo and WBO super welterweight champion Brian Carlos Castano.