Angel Ayala and Dave Apolinario face each other after fighting for the IBF flyweight title on August 9 in Mexico City.
Angel Ayala and Dave Apolinario will fill the void left by one of the best players in the sport.
Both men arrived in good shape ahead of their IBF flyweight title fight in Mexico City. Locally-based Ayala came in fit and cut 110.8 kilograms, while Filipino Apolinario was ready to fight at 111.7 kilograms.
Their fight headlines the ESPN Knockout show from Restaurant Arroyo in Mexico City. ESPN+ will broadcast the event live in the US
Ayala (17-0, 7 KOs), No. 4 at 112, enters his first title fight as a mandatory challenger. He got that after a dubious 12-round victory over Felix Alvarado last October 14 in Merida, Mexico.
“With this fight, I can become a part of boxing history,”
It was always clear to Ayala's team that his IBF title fight would come down to a vacant title fight. Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) previously held the IBF and WBO flyweight titles but vacated both belts earlier this year. Ring's No. 5-rated pound-for-pound fighter returned to 115, where he dethroned long-time RING champion Juan Francisco Estrada.
Apolinario (20-0, 14 KOs) is the beneficiary of the move, as the IBF's No. 3 ranked contender. The undefeated contender from General Santos City earns his first title fight with a knockout instead of qualification. His resume is pretty sparse, though his last three wins have come on the road. He comes on the heels of a fourth-round stoppage of Tanes Ongjunta on February 22 in Tokyo.
“This fight is very different from the others I have had and I am happy to prove that I am the best,” said Apolinario. “I have been preparing for this for a long time. This fight is very important and I have improved my skills, my strength… and my IQ.”
Both fighters had to wait out the buyout process, which killed plans to land on the May 6 Naoya Inoue-Luis Nery card in Tokyo. Zanfer Boxing, Ayala's promoter, bid $250,500 to secure the promotion rights.
Friday's fight date meets the criteria for the request, which would have had an August 12 deadline to schedule a fight for the vacant title.
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