By Rene Bonsubre,Jr
Jhack Tepora joins a short but undesirable list of Filipino world titleholders who got stripped of their belts for stepping on the scales overweight. The WBA interim world featherweight titlist was supposed to make his first defense of the crown he won last July in Malaysia against Mexican Edivaldo Ortega. News from Las Vegas stated that Tepora weighed 131.5lbs, 5 and a half pounds over the division limit. The fight was reported to be cancelled and on boxrec, Hugo Ruiz , his challenger from Mexico, was now matched with another Mexican, Alberto Guevarra. The future of the undefeated Tepora (22-0,17Ko’s) is now in limbo considering his reported conflict with Omega Promotions, the company that promotes him in his home island of Cebu. In 2009, Marvin Sonsona lost his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior bantamweight crown when he checked in over the limit in his first defense against Mexican Alejandro Hernandez. The fight held in Canada pushed through and ended in a draw. Sonsona’s reign lasted only for two months and 17 days, a record for being the shortest stint as a world champ in the Philippines. He would never get a world title shot again. Numerous stories came out regarding his lack of discipline which eventually led to long periods of inactivity. In 2014, Johnriel Casimero came in over for the light flyweight limit for his fourth defense of his IBF title. Casimero entered the ring an ex-champ but easily knocked out Colombian Mauricio Fuentes in Cebu City. Casimero also had a falling out with Omega Promotions and would go on to win another IBF world title at flyweight. Two years ago, fighting at 115lbs, he lost in an IBF eliminator to countryman Jonas Sultan by unanimous verdict in Cebu City. Casimero is scheduled for a fight this February 16 in Metro Manila against Japanese Kenya Yamashita In 2017, Marlon Tapales couldn’t make weight in Japan in is first defense of the WBO bantamweight title against Japanese Shohei Omori. Tapales was still allowed to fight after being stripped and stopped Omori in 11 rounds. The almost nine month interval since beating Pungluang Sor Singyu for the title was cited as the reason why Tapales was overweight. Another hiatus followed and Tapales saw action again last September in Manila knocking out Tanzanian Goodluck Mrema in a non-title contest. Even Manny Pacquiao was not spared of this fate. In 2009, when he was still a flyweight, Pacquiao lost his WBC crown at the scales in Thailand. He was too drained in trying to make weight he lost by third round TKO to Thai Medgoen Singsurat. At that point in time, no one would have predicted that Pacquiao would go on and win seven more division titles and become an all-time great. Pacquiao will face off against Adrien Broner to defend his WBA welterweight title. Tepora will miss his big chance to fight on the undercard.
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