Angel Ayala (18-0, 8 knockouts) is hoisted within the air to rejoice his Aug. 9 sixth spherical knockout of Dave Apolinario (20-1, 14 KOs) in Mexico Metropolis. Ayala received the vacant IBF flyweight title with the knockout victory.
Angel Ayala left little question within the largest win of his profession up to now.
The rangy flyweight claimed the vacant IBF title with a sixth spherical knockout of Dave Apolinario. Ayala twice floored the visiting Filipino within the fateful sixth spherical. The latter knockdown produced the total ten depend at 2:06 of spherical six Friday at Restaurante Arroyo in Mexico Metropolis.
With the win, the locally-based Ayala (18-0, 8 knockouts)received the belt vacated by Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) earlier this yr.
It wasn’t all clean crusing for the home favourite. Apolinario (20-1, 14 KOs) made probably the most of his street journey from Basic Santos Metropolis, Philippines as he loved a powerful begin. Ayala by no means misplaced his composure however at instances struggled versus the cagey southpaw.
Physique punching was the important thing to the momentum shift loved by Ayala. The assault was telling, as Apolinario’s demeanor by the fifth spherical urged the struggle trended in the direction of a degree of no return.
Time was referred to as when Apolinario was in a position to promote the referee on a low blow halfway via spherical 5. A proper hand by Ayala appeared to land squarely within the midsection however the shot was as an alternative dominated beneath the beltline. Ayala didn’t pay it any thoughts and continued to focus on Apolinario’s midsection.
Ayala emphatically closed the present in spherical six.
His potential to seamlessly change from orthodox to southpaw and again was efficient. Apolinario couldn’t cease the assault from both aspect and as soon as once more discovered himself again on the canvas. It was dominated a knockdown this time, although he was in a position to beat the depend.
Apolanario was removed from out the woods, nevertheless.
Ayala sensed the top was close to and made positive to not let his fellow unbeaten contender off the hook—actually. A sequence of proper palms upstairs and brutal physique pictures damaged Apolinario’s spirit and as soon as once more despatched him to a knee. This time it was the total ten depend, which prompted a celebration on the opposite aspect of the ring.
The victory was way more satisfying than some other for Ayala, together with the one which landed him the title struggle.
A controversial twelve-round determination over Felix Alvarado noticed Ayala rise to necessary with each the WBC and IBF. Their Oct. 14 bout in Merida, Mexico was tightly contested, however with Alvarado (41-4, 35 KOs) initially introduced because the winner.
The celebration was shortlived by the previous IBF 108-pound titlist. A correction was instantly made by the ring announcer, who revealed that Ayala received by scores of 114-113 on all three playing cards.
Ayala’s workforce opted to go the IBF route, since then-WBC titlist Julio Cesar Martinez was already dedicated to a title protection. It resulted in a prolonged wait, together with canceled plans for a focused spot on the Could 6 Naoya Inoue-Luis Nery card in Tokyo.
Zanfer Boxing, Ayala’s promoter, received a handbag bid listening to with a $250,500 supply to safe promotional rights. Ayala and Apolinario every earned $125,500 paydays as the highest two-rated IBF contenders.
The night time marked the primary title struggle for each boxers.
Apolinario fought on the street for the fourth time in his previous 5 fights, although the bout was a significant step up in competitors. Whereas Ayala received a title eliminator, Apolinario was granted his title shot via attrition. His effort was respectable sufficient to the place he figures to return to this stage.
For now. it’s Ayala who joins the highest of the division’s class. He entered the struggle as The Ring’s No. 4-rated flyweight, That standing will enhance by at the least one spot by the subsequent rankings replace.
The win marks the third newly topped flyweight in 2024, with the WBC belt nonetheless vacant.
Seigo Yuri Akui, No. 2 at 112, dethroned long-reigning WBA titlist Artem Dalakian (22-1, 15 KOs), No. 2 at 112, on Jan. 23 in Osaka, Japan. The win one month after Rodriguez unified the IBF and WBO titles in a ninth-round knockout of Sunny Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs). The unified reign was short-lived, nevertheless. The Ring’s No. 5-rated pound-for-pound fighter vacated each belts in late March to return to junior bantamweight, the place he’s now The Ring and WBC champ.
Martinez vacated the WBC belt to marketing campaign at 115, although beneath doubtful phrases. As eported by The Ring, he examined optimistic for banned diuretics in his March 30 title protection versus Angelino Cordova. Martinez was since issued a backdated nine-month suspension.
Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) and Cristofer Rosales (37-6, 22KOs) are resulting from struggle for the vacant WBC title. A date was not assigned for the struggle, which is focused for the fourth quarter of 2024.
Anthony Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KOs), No. 7 at 112, received the vacant WBO flyweight title simply three weeks in the past. The Los Angeleno knocked out Riku Kano (22-5-1, 11 KOs) within the third spherical on July 20 in Tokyo.
Akui and Ayala are rated just under former IBF flyweight titlist Sunny Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs). The Ring’s No. 1-rated flyweight returned to the win column with a technical determination victory over Adrien Curiel. It got here on the June 29 undercard of Rodriguez’s seventh-round knockout of Juan Francisco Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs).
The win got here at a value as Edwards suffered a horrific minimize. He’s now the best ranked IBF challenger to his outdated title, although not the necessary challenger.
That mentioned, an Ayala-Edwards conflict may garner consideration for vacant Ring championship, relying on the subsequent rankings replace.
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