Not even a delay in the release of his Mexican visa could prevent Dave “Doberman” Apolinario from proceeding with his world title quest this Friday in Mexico City.
Apolinario battles Angel Ayala for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight crown but the Filipino southpaw could also be dealing with two other major concerns: Jet lag and Mexico City’s 7,350-feet elevation.
Despite the odds, Apolinario and his team took a flight bound for Tokyo on Sunday and then caught a connecting flight straight to Mexico City.
He was joined by his promoter JC Mananquil and manager Mike Pelayo, who both expressed optimism over their fighter’s chances in becoming the country’s third world champion after Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran.
Apolinario was supposed to leave a month before the fight but he could not easily get an appointment at the Mexican embassy and had to wait until the end of July to be accommodated.
As soon as his travel document was released, his team immediately booked him a flight, still upbeat that Apolinario would overcome the odds and crown himself as the new IBF 112-lb king.
“The original plan was for him to leave for Mexico four weeks or even three weeks before the fight so he could get used to the local conditions,” Pelayo said.
“We had already prepared for his apartment and the gym where he will be working out,” Pelayo added.
Apolinario enters the ring at the Restaurante Arroyo holding a 20-0 win-loss record with 14 knockouts while Ayala will be parading a 17-0 mark with seven knockouts.
A native of Sarangani province, Apolinario, 25, will be fighting for the first time in Mexico City although he has seen action in South Africa once in 2022 and in Japan twice since he is also being represented internationally by Ohashi Promotions.
Ayala, 24, has fought exclusively on Mexican soil since turning pro in March 2019.