Two-division world champion Marlon Tapales will return to the ring on Aug. 29, 2026, making his featherweight debut at the Mercure Hotel Ballarat in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. At 34, Tapales is aiming to become a three-division world champion.
Tapales Announces Comeback
“I will be fighting on August 29 at the Mercure Ballarat Hotel, just a one-hour drive from Melbourne, Australia. I’m competing in a new weight division where I feel more comfortable and can showcase all my abilities. I am beginning my journey to become a three-division world champion. I’m doing this for my family and to prove to myself that I can still perform at a high level, and that my last fight was just an off night. Thank you to everyone who made this possible,” Tapales said on social media.
Tapales’ opponent, however, has yet to be announced.
Championship History
Tapales won his first world title at bantamweight in 2016 after dethroning World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion Panya Uthok via 11th-round knockout in Thailand.
In 2023, Tapales became a unified world champion after defeating Murodjon Akhmadaliev by split decision in the United States to capture the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) super-bantamweight titles. Later that year, Tapales attempted to unify all the belts against Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue in the biggest fight of his career. However, Inoue stopped him in the 10th round in Japan.
Recent Fights
Following that defeat, Tapales won four straight fights from 2024 to 2025. He then suffered another setback after losing by unanimous decision to Yukinori Oguni on April 3, 2026, in Japan. Tapales is currently ranked No. 2 by the WBC in the super-bantamweight division.
The August 29 bout marks a fresh start for Tapales as he moves up to featherweight, a division where he believes he can excel. His quest for a third world title continues.
