Angela knocked out Dave Apolinario twice in the 6th round to win the IBF Flyweight title

Angela Ayala left without a doubt the biggest success of her career to date.

The rangy flyweight won the vacant IBF title with a sixth-round knockout of Dave Apolinario. Ayala knocked down the visiting Filipino twice in the lucky sixth round. The final strike brought the total to ten at 2:06 of the sixth round on Friday at Restaurant Arroyo in Mexico City.

With the win, local Ayala (18-0, 8 knockouts) won the belt vacated by Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) earlier this year.

It wasn't all smooth sailing for the house favourite. Apolinario (20-1, 14 KOs) did his best from General Santos City, Philippines as he enjoyed a strong start. Ayala never lost his composure but at times struggled against the cagey southpaw.

Body strikes were the key to the momentum shift that Ayala enjoyed. The attack was telling, as Apolinario's behavior in the fifth round suggested the fight was heading for the point of no return.

Time was called when Apolinario was able to sell the referee with a low blow midway through the fifth round. Ayala's right hand appeared to land down the middle but the shot was taken below the belt. Ayala paid nothing and continued to target Apolinario's midfield.

Ayala emphatically closed out the show in the sixth round.

His ability to seamlessly transition from orthodox to southpaw and back was impressive. Apolinario was unable to stop the onslaught from either side and once again found himself back on the canvas. The law was laid down this time, even though he managed to beat the count.

Apolanario was far from the forest, however.

Ayala realized the end was near and made sure not to let his teammates enter the pit—literally. A series of overhand right hands and brutal body shots broke Apolinario's spirit and dropped him to his knees again. This time it was a perfect count of ten, which caused a celebration on the other side of the ring.

The win was more satisfying than any of Ayala's, including the one that earned him a title shot.

A controversial twelve-round decision over Felix Alvarado saw Ayala rise to the ranks of the WBC and IBF. Their October 14th fight in Merida, Mexico was very competitive, but Alvarado (41-4, 35 KOs) declared early as the winner.

This celebration was shortened by those who fought in the IBF 108-pound. The correction was quickly made by the ring announcer, who announced that Ayala won by scores of 114-113 on all three cards.

Ayala's team opted to go the IBF route, as then-respected Julio Cesar Martinez had committed to a title defense. It led to a long wait, including canceled plans for the May 6 Naoya Inoue-Luis Nery card in Tokyo.

Zanfer Boxing, Ayala's promoter, won the fund bid hearing with an offer of $250,500 to secure the promotional rights. Ayala and Apolinario earned paydays of $125,500 each as the two top-rated IBF contenders.

The night was the first title fight for both boxers.

Apolinario fought on the road for the fourth time in his last five fights, although the fight was a big step up in the competition. Although Ayala won the title, Apolinario was awarded his title by knockout. His effort was respectable enough that he is determined to return to this stage.

In the meantime. Ayala is the top entry in this category. He entered the fight as The Ring's No. 4-rated flyweight, That status will improve by at least one place with the next rating revision.

The victory marks the third newly crowned flyweight in 2024, with the WBC belt still vacant.

Seigo Yuri Akui, No. 2 at 112, dethroned Artem Dalakian (22-1, 15 KOs), No. 2 at 112, on Jan. 23 in Osaka, Japan. The win came a month after Rodriguez combined the IBF and WBO titles in a ninth-round knockout of Sunny Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs). However, the unified rule was short-lived. The Ring's 5-rated pound-for-pound fighter vacated both belts in late March to return to junior bantamweight, where he is now The Ring and WBC champion.

Martinez vacated the WBC belt to campaign at 115, albeit under questionable terms. As reported by The Ring, he tested positive for banned diuretics for his March 30 title defense against Angelino Cordova. Martinez has since been served a back-to-back nine-month suspension.

Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) and Christopher Rosales (37-6, 22KOs) will fight for the vacant WBC title. No date has been given for the battle, which is expected to be in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Anthony Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KOs), ranked No. 7 at 112, won the vacant WBO flyweight title three weeks ago. The Los Angeleno knocked out Riku Kano (22-5-1, 11 KOs) in the third round on July 20 in Tokyo.

Akui and Ayala are rated under former IBF flyweight champion Sunny Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs). Ring's No. 1-rated flyweight returned to the win column with a technical decision victory over Adrien Curiel. It came on June 29 with Rodriguez's seventh-round undercard over Juan Francisco Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs).

The win came at a cost as Edward suffered a heavy defeat. He is now ranked the highest in the IBF, claiming his old title, although he is not required to contest.

That being said, the Ayala-Edwards clash may prompt consideration for the vacant Ring championship, depending on the next ratings update.

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