TAPALES, VITOR FALL SHORT IN RUSSIA IBF ASIA TITLE BIDS

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Filipino fighters Gabriel Tapales and Virgel Vitor came up short in their respective International Boxing Federation (IBF) Asia title fights in Moscow, Russia on February 14.

Citing a report from Fight News, both Filipinos dropped decisions in their first bouts on Russian soil against hometown opponents.

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Tapales suffered a sixth-round knockout at the hands of Aznaur Kalsynov, who captured the IBF Asia featherweight crown.

With the win, Kalsynov improved to 7-1-3 with one knockout.

The loss snapped Tapales’ eight-fight winning streak.

The younger brother of former two-division world champion Marlon Tapales now stands at 9-2 with six knockouts.

Vitor falls to Subkhankulov

In the lightweight division, Vitor of PMI Bohol Boxing Stable also absorbed a tough defeat.

He battled for 10 rounds before Artur Subkhankulov forced a stoppage in the final round to claim the IBF Asia lightweight title.

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Despite the setback, Vitor lived up to his “Valiente” moniker, trading punches and pushing Subkhankulov in a competitive contest before the Russian unleashed a decisive flurry that prompted the referee to halt the fight.

Vitor’s record slipped to 24-5 with 17 knockouts.

Subkhankulov, meanwhile, remained unbeaten at 11-0 with five knockouts.

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2026-02-15T10:28:50Z