By Katareena Roska
SPOTTED. Boxing World Champ reaping the fruits of his labor with a free sesh at a vitamin drip lab.
The scene: a classic, sunny Californian day at a wellness center in Sherman Oaks.
The star? The newly crowned Marlon Tapales.
Cool, calm, and overwhelmingly humble—Tapales dropped by to test out the cryotherapy at pH Drip Labs, owned by fellow Filipino Dr. Pauline Jose.
Pinoy solidarity runs deep. After Tapales’ win, Dr. Jose pledged to sponsor any supplemental treatments for him and the rest of the Manny Pacquiao Promotionsand the San team. Nothing like the camaraderie of three stars and a sun.
But Tapales walks with the humility of the Son of God, presenting himself more like a shy altar boy cleaning up after mass.
Still, his win is monumental. Surmounting a dark era of the Filipino boxing community, Tapales rose to the top, proudly carrying with him the hopes of our people. A phoenix from the ashes, a resurrection of our dreams.
Tapales isn’t new to the game—he’s always been an underdog.
Which is probably why when he walked in, I barely even noticed.
Softspoken, he lacked the cockiness of a victor. But he was full of heart.
As Dr. Jose toured him around the center, his crew walked with the swagger (or perhaps without) of any other customer, expecting nothing in return.
“Maybe next time.” Tapales said in a modest mumble, the sharp chill of the cryo chamber surprising him like an undercut.
Nicknamed “The Nightmare”, Tapales’ demeanor was more of a daydream. But we can’t let his modesty lull us into complacency—-Tapales is out for blood.
As they were getting ready to return to the rest of Tapales’ crowded schedule, I couldn’t help but notice the incandescent glow of his belts in the sun.
“You wanna hold them?”, it sparked a fuse in his eyes.
And before I could even answer, he draped the weight of his prizes across my shoulders and snapped a pic with me. Classy move.
I could overhear his team arguing in the sweet, melodious and familiar sound of my native tongue. “Tabuni na ug hoodie ang belt kay magaras!”
They carefully wrapped the belts back in nothing more than a simple hoodie, symbolically mirroring the unassuming and self-effacing air of one Marlon Tapales.
What's next for Marlon Tapales?
As for my other favorite fighter Naoya Inoue? The two might meet soon if the stars align.
But Tapales has already made his intentions clear in the locker room, post interview:
“Inoue, you’re next.”
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