There seems to be something wrong with the Filipino boxers’ body.
Angel Ayala of Mexico knocked out Dave “Doberman” Apolinario in the sixth round to capture the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight crown on Friday night (Saturday in Manila) at the Restaurante Arroyo in Mexico City.
The Mexican got the job done using a weapon that has been the scourge of Filipino fighters lately: the body shot.
A barrage of body blows sent Apolinario down for the count as the crowd went wild. Earlier, Apolinario took a knee after taking a vicious right-left thrown by Ayala that gave the hometown puncher the opening to go for the kill.
After landing solid shots in the first three rounds, Apolinario began to get hit by Ayala’s rights and lefts to the head and body as the tide began to turn in the fourth frame.
While Ayala, 24, was taking charge, Apolinario, 25, still managed to strike back but his biggest blows simply did not deter his energized rival from stepping on the attack.
The fight was staged in Mexico after Ayala’s promotional group Zanfer outbid Ohashi Promotions of Japan, which signed Apolinario to a contract last year.
The win boosted Ayala’s record to 18-0 with eight knockouts while the defeat dropped Apolinario’s mark to 20-1 with 14 knockouts.
Right from the get-go, Apolinario was at a disadvantage.
He only arrived in Mexico five days before the bout after a long journey from Manila that brought Apolinario and his team to Tokyo where they caught the connecting flight to the Mexican capital that lasted more than 12 hours.
Apolinario also had to shake off jet lag and also had to endure the 7,350-feet elevation.
Still, the fallen fighter’s handlers — longtime pals JC Mananquil and Mike Pelayo — are confident the Sarangani native will bounce back.
Apolinario’s setback only brings back recent memories of the devastating losses suffered by Filipino boxers bidding to win world titles.
This year alone, two top fighters — Jerwin Ancajas and Vincent Astrolabio — were felled by body blows in botched world title bids.
Ancajas was brought down by Takuma Inoue last February at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena in Tokyo while Astrolabio was counted out by Junto Nakatani also at the same venue last July.
Apart from these stunning results, several other Filipino boxers overseas absorbed kayo defeats after getting struck with body shots.