Angel Ayala opened a new chapter in his young career with an impressive sixth-round knockout of Dave Apolinario to earn a vacant flyweight belt Friday at Restaurante Arroyo in Mexico City.
Ayala (18-0, 8 KOs), from Texcoco, Mexico, showed resilience while the bout lasted, recording two knockdowns in the sixth to finish off the Philippines’ Apolinario (20-1, 14 KOs).
On the first knockdown, Ayala connected with a combination to the body. When Apolinario stood up to beat the count, he fought back and landed several decent shots. But Ayala didn’t let up. He pursued Apolinario by unloading a flurry of unanswered body shots, which sent the Filipino fighter to the canvas for a second time.
After Apolinario failed to beat the mandatory eight count, the referee waved off the fight, handing Ayala his first world title. Ayala and Apolinario had been matched by the IBF to fight for the belt after Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vacated the title in March.
The opening round started with Apolinario landing solid shots to the face and body. But Ayala responded in equal measure. The war continued in the second, as both fighters went at each other from the sound of the bell.
In the third and fourth, Ayala, 24, started to separate himself, landing good body shots and hooks. Although Apolinario, 25, was blitzed by a flurry to the face and body, he didn’t hesitate to return the favor.
Ayala went straight at Apolinario in the fifth, showing more guile and landing a series of hard-hitting punches. Apolinario, however, did not show any sign of being hurt from the punishment.
Just when the fight seemed to be entering its most thrilling point, Ayala scored two quick body-shot knockdowns, the second of which Apolinario wasn’t able to recover from. The fight marks the biggest win of Ayala’s career.
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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