Almost two months after he lost his unified junior bantamweight titles via split decision to Marlon Tapales, Murodjon Akhmadaliev still doesn’t understand how two of three judges scored the fight against him.
“I remember we spoke right before, and I felt good, so very well prepared for the fight,” he told ProBoxTV during a break at the IBF annual convention in Chicago. “I felt confident going in the ring. And I actually felt confident when the fight was over that I got the fight. I had no doubts about it. I did what we were supposed to do. I believe that I won the fight. I rewatched the fight. I don't see the fight anywhere closer than seven rounds to five in my favor. The worst-case scenario, if you favor the guy, and if you love him jabbing and running around, is a draw. There is no way that I lost my titles in that fight.”
Akhmadaliev (11-1, 8 KOs) acknowledges that, in hindsight, he should have stepped on the gas earlier in the fight, as the judges who scored against him had him losing the first half of the contest before he closed the gap over the final six frames. But he says that that was part of the plan, that he did not want to risk too much too early, as he respected Tapales as a fighter and knew there was a lot on the line, with the potential to match his two titles against the winner of the upcoming Naoya Inoue-Stephen Fulton clash in a battle to crown an undisputed 122 pound champion.
The Uzbek admits that, like Vasiliy Lomachenko following his disputed loss with Devin Haney, his emotions were initially raw after the verdict.
“You know, I was a little upset. I was little pissed, you know, but again, it's emotions,” he said. “I felt that they robbed me. No one knows how hard we work, and what we go through to get to that point. I respect everyone and everyone deserves the victory should be victorious. I believe that I was victorious in our fight with Tapales, same as Lomachenko was in his fight.
“That said, victories and losers all come from God. So, we have to accept it.”
Akhmadaliev was in Chicago to accept an award from the IBF for making three successful defenses of the title he won from Daniel Roman in January 2020 and to lobby to be returned to a higher ranking from the organization, which dropped him to seventh following his close loss. He knows that losing the decision to Tapales has likely taken him out of immediate consideration for the Fulton-Inoue winner and also isn’t holding his breath for a rematch with Tapales.
“My goal didn't change,” he said. “My goal is to be undisputed super-bantamweight world champion, whatever it takes. I'm ready to fight Tapales tomorrow. It's not a question for me. I respect him. He's a great fighter. I respected him before the fight, and I respected him after the fight. I don't blame him [for the judging] but I believe that I was a better fighter that night, and I can prove it – today, tomorrow, any given day, any given night. But this is boxing and unfortunately this is business; and right now, yeah, the rematch probably will be very, very difficult because of what's on the line. But I'm ready to fight anyone, and I'll become a mandatory after that fight for the winner, whoever it is. I'm right there, I'm going to wait for the winner of that [Inoue-Fulton] fight.”
Although he slightly favors Inoue, he said he does not know enough about either man to predict who that winner will be.
“I have to get ready for my own next fight, which is expected to be probably September so at the time of their fight, I'm going to be in training camp. I just hope the best man wins and I wish nothing but good luck for him.”
