FOR the nth time, work to the body denied a Filipino of a world title belt.
Dave Apolinario couldn’t bear the pain of not just one, but a series of brutal shots to the body by Mexican Angel Ayala to lose his bid for the vacant IBF flyweight crown via sixth round knockout on Saturday (Manila time) at the Restaurante Arroyo in Mexico City.
The 25-year-old southpaw initially went down after the Mexican caught him with a right hook to the midsection, but managed to stave off the knockdown and continued fighting.
But Ayala knew it was the beginning of the end for Apolinario and the former pressed his advantage with combination of body shots, and the latter indeed went down for the second time.
There was no fight left from ‘The Doberman’ from there, as referee Roberto Ramirez Jr. counted him out with 51 seconds left in the sixth round, sparking a wild celebration from the corner of the Mexican.
Apolinario suffers same fate
Apolinario was the third Filipino fighter to lose in a championship bout courtesy of a body shot in the last six months after Jerwin Ancajas (WBA bantamweight) and Vincent Astrolabio (WBC bantamweight).
Former world title challenger Jonas Sulta lost his last fight in February as well courtesy of a single body punch by Japanese upstart Riku Masuda.
The loss was a heartbreaker for Apolinario, vying in his first-ever world title fight, who appeared in control of the 12-round bout during the first four frames.
PHOTO: Zanfer Boxing
But Ayala began pounding on the Filipino’s body beginning the fifth, and it didn’t take long before the Mexican figured out Apolinario’s Achilles heel.
Fighting out of Sanman Promotions, Apolinario suffered his first career loss for a 20-1 record with 14 KOs.
Ayala, meanwhile, kept his perfect record at 18-0 and added the Filipino among his knockout victims that now runs to eight.
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