Flash Elorde Memorial Awards on March 25

THE COUNTRY’S best boxers will be feted in the prestigious Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Memorial Awards and Banquet of Champions on March 25 at the Manila Hotel in Metro Manila.

Leading the list of awardees will be the Cebu-based reigning WBO world bantamweight champion Marlon “Nightmare” Tapales (29-2-0, 12KOs), who will be receiving the Boxer of the Year Award.

Tapales earned the award after scoring the biggest upset in boxing last year when he knocked out defending champion Pongluang Sor Singyu in Thailand to clinch the WBO world bantamweight title.

Tapales, a native of Lanao del Norte, will share the award with former IBF flyweight world champion Johnriel Casimero (23-3-0, 15KOs) and IBF world super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (26-1-1, 17KOs).

Tapales will defend his title in Japan on April 23 against Shohei Omori. The fight will be a rematch between the two boxers with Tapales winning the first clash via a TKO in 2015 in Japan.

Ancajas won the IBF world super flyweight title against Mexican Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (32-5-0, 19KOs) last January in Macau, China while Casimero relinquished his IBF flyweight belt last year by climbing to a higher weight division.

Meanwhile, ALA Boxing Gym’s Donnie “Ahas” Nietes, who has a world title bout on April 29 for the vacant IBF world flyweight title against Gomrich Nantapech of Thailand, will receive an Award of Distinction along with WBO world welterweight champion Senator Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Both Pacquiao and Nietes are already Hall of Famers in the annual awards.