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Tuñacao hopes to earn another shot at a world title


Malcolm Tuñacao has put a turbulent past behind him and slowly rebuilt his life in Japan, where he is now campaigning as a bantamweight, hoping to once again earn another world title bid. Tuñacao shot to prominence as an up-and-coming 23-year-old boxer in 2000 when he scored a seventh-round technical knockout win over Medgoen Singsurat to snatch the Thai champion’s World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight title. Singsurat was the same Thai fighter that dealt Manny Pacquiao a third-round KO to claim the WBC flyweight belt in the early stages of the Filipino ring icon’s boxing career, way back in 1999. But Tuñacao had a brief reign as WBC’s flyweight king, relinquishing his crown to Thai legend Pongsaklek Wonjongkam on March 2, 2001. Following a technical draw against Randy Mangubat after that loss to Wonjongkam, Tuñacao went on to win 10 straight fights. His success inside the ring, however, did not spill over to his personal life. He encountered family problems that led to a break-up with his wife. Tuñacao even broke his right hand in 2007, an injury he didn’t suffer inside the ring. “I stopped boxing for two years because of family problems," said Tunacao, referring to his divorce a few years ago. “My right hand was injured because I punched a mirror. I didn’t practice for a long time, but now I’m okay. I can move on now." Now the Mandaue City native Tuñacao (27-2-3, 16 KO) is hoping to clinch a win against Japan’s Daigo Nakahiro (21-3-1, 8 KO) on February 5 at the Prefectural Gymnasium in Osaka to move him closer to challenging World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight champion Anselmo Moreno. “I will fight him toe to toe and attack his body," said Tunacao, who is ranked in the Top 15 in three of the four boxing organizations. Now 32 years old, Tuñacao has been based in Kobe after signing with Japanese promoter/manager Masahito Yamashita. He spars with WBA featherweight champion Hozumi Hasegawa and former 115-pound titlist Nobuo Nashiro. “The people are very nice here, especially my manager and my gym mates. Also, the food is good." Tunacao will be risking his OPBF belt, a regional title in Asia, against Nakahiro, who is a crowd favorite in Japan. Both have faced Hidenobu Honda, with Tunacao stopping him in five last November, while Nakahiro took a majority decision. Nakahiro lost on a decision to their other common opponent, Wonjongkam. From Japan, Tuñacao supports his three children, including a 14-year-old daughter and two boys, aged 11 and 9. – KY, RCJ, JVP, GMANews.TV Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and contributes to GMANews.TV and the Filipino Reporter newspaper. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com. An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryansongalia.

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