Murodjon Akhmadaliev-Marlon Tapales: IBF Formally Orders Mandatory Title Fight

Murodjon Akhmadaliev’s quest for undisputed championship status will be slowed by at least one mandatory title defense.

The unified IBF/WBA junior featherweight titlist has been ordered to next defend versus IBF number-one contender Marlon Tapales. The fight was formally ordered by the New Jersey-based sanctioning body on January 4, with the two sides given until February 2 to work out a deal to avoid a purse bid hearing.

“[The] mandatory title defense was due on or before January 3, 2022,” Carlos Chavez, chairman of IBF championship committee stated to Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn (Akhmadaliev) and MP Promotions’ Sean Gibbons (Tapales) via official letter, a copy of which was obtained by BoxingScene.com. “The leading available contender is #1 Marlon Tapales. Negotiations should commence immediately and be included by February 2, 2022.

“If you are unable to come to an agreement for this bout by February 2, 2022, the IBF will call for a purse bid.”

Akhmadaliev (10-0, 7KOs) is represented by Hearn and manager Vadim Kornilov, and has twice defended his unified titles since dethroning Danny Roman nearly two years ago. The unbeaten southpaw from Chust, Uzbekistan—who now trains out of Joel Diaz’s facility in Indio, California—is coming off a twelve-round, unanimous decision win over Jose Velasquez last November 19 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Velasquez was a late replacement for WBA mandatory challenger Ronny Rios who tested positive for Covid barely a week ahead of the fight.

In his previous outing, Akhmadaliev scored a fifth-round knockout of IBF mandatory challenger Ryosuke Iwasa last April 3 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The bout was his first in his home country since an amateur tournament in 2017, one year after capturing a Bronze medal for Uzbekistan in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Tapales enters talks armed with a swarm of boxing talent, represented by MP Promotions, Sanman Boxing, Shapiro Sports, and Viva Promotions. It was a full court press by his co-promoters to get the resurgent 29-year-old southpaw from Kapatagan, Philippines back in the title picture.

A second-round knockout of Hiroaki Teshigawara came with the IBF’s blessing as a title eliminator, honoring such a request by Tapales’ team. Tapales rose to the occasion, flooring Teshigawara three times in just 3:06 worth of ring action in forcing the stoppage in their December 11 clash at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Per IBF purse bid rules, neither fighter is permitted to enter an agreement for another bout during the period for the ordered title fight. This prevents Akhmadaliev from pursuing bigger fights, such as a four-belt undisputed showdown with WBC/WBO junior featherweight titlist Stephen Fulton (20-0, 8KOs). Such a fight was never formally discussed by either side, as both unified titlists seemed aware of mandatory title defenses looming ahead in the new year.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox