Cebuano Jhack Tepora celebrates following a ninth-round technical knockout (TKO) victory against Mexican Edivaldo Ortega in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday. inquirer.net
WBA Interim world featherweight champ Jhack Tepora ready for more
Following his impressive ninth-round technical knockout (TKO) victory against Mexican Edivaldo Ortega to bag the interim World Boxing Association (WBA) world featherweight title, Cebuano Jhack Tepora is setting his sights on Leo Santa Cruz.
Tepora’s victory made him the mandatory challenger for the WBA world featherweight title held by Santa Cruz.
The 25-year-old Tepora, who used a right uppercut to floor Ortega in the co-main event of the Manny Pacquiao-Lucas Matthysse fight on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said he’s ready to fight Santa Cruz anytime.
The decision on whether to pit Tepora with the Latin American world champion, though, will depend on Pacquiao, who also scored a seventh-round TKO win against Matthysse in the main event. (see story on page 34)
“Pacquiao’s the one who decides which fight I’m going to have next. But I’m ready for who they will give me,” Tepora, from Danao City, Cebu, said.
For now, Tepora said he will first relish the hard-earned victory against Ortega.
“I’m very happy because I’ve been wanting to be a world champion since I was a kid,” said Tepora in Filipino.
Tepora kept his record unblemished with 22 wins, 17 off knockouts and dealt Ortega, who owns 26 wins, his second loss.
Tepora admitted he has some things to improve for his next fight, including his stamina and speed.
“I think I need to improve on my stamina because I slowed down in the later rounds,” he said.
Nevertheless, Tepora said he was contented with the way he performed against Ortega.
“I knew I hurt him since round one. But he is very tough and I did not engage him with his brawler style of boxing. I just threw jabs and straights and I was patient enough to wait and throw that knockout punch.”
Ortega went down after that vicious uppercut but he was able to beat the count of referee Roberto Ramirez Jr. He, however, got punished more with
Tepora’s signature hooks, which forced the third man in the ring to stop the fight at the 2:38 mark.
Tepora is now one of the four remaining Filipino world champions, the others being Pacquiao (WBA world welterweight), Vic Saludar (WBO minimumweight) and Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas (IBF super flyweight).
Omega Pro Sports International Vice President Jerome Calatrava said they are targeting November for Tepora’s next fight.
He, however, did not divulge any other details.