Filipino boxer Marlon Tapales earned the mandatory challenger spot to the WBO bantamweight title with a second-round technical knockout of Japan’s Shohei Omori at the Shimazu Arena in Kyoto, Japan on Wednesday.

Tapales, a native of Lanao del Norte, Philippines, dropped Omori three times in Round 1 before finishing him off with a counter right hook that caught Omori with his chin in the air.

Omori (15-1, 10 knockouts) rose up again before referee Lou Moret waved off the fight t the 1:35 mark.

The win earns the 23-year-old Tapales (28-2, 11 KOs) a mandatory shot at current titleholder Pungluang Sor Singyu (51-3, 35 KOs), who won the title in August with a second-round knockout of Ryo Akoho.

The 27-year-old Sor Singyu is already scheduled to face another Filipino boxer, Jetro Pabustan (26-2-6, 7 KOs), on January 15.

Kota Tokunaga (17-2, 11 KOs) retained the Japanese lightweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision win over Kazuhiro Nishitani (15-4-1, 7 KOs). The scores were 97-94 on two cards and 96-95 on the third.