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Angel Ayala knocks out Dave Apolinario twice in 6th round to win IBF flyweight title

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Angel Ayala (18-0, 8 knockouts) rises into the air to celebrate his sixth-round knockout of Dave Apolinario (20-1, 14 KOs) on Aug. 9 in Mexico City. Ayala won the vacant IBF flyweight title with a knockout victory.

Angel Ayala left no doubt about the biggest victory of his career.

The towering flyweight won the vacant IBF title by knocking out Dave Apolinario in the sixth round. Ayala knocked down the visiting Filipino twice in a disastrous sixth round, the latter knockdown scoring a full 10 points at 2:06 of the sixth round Friday at Restaurante Arroyo in Mexico City.

With the victory, the Ayala native (18-0, 8 knockouts) won the belt won earlier this year by Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs).

It wasn’t all glossy sailing for the favorite. Apolinario (20-1, 14 KOs) made the most of his trip from General Santos City, Philippines, enjoying a powerful start. Ayala never lost his composure, but struggled at times against the cautious left-hander.

Body blows were key to the change of pace that Ayala enjoyed, and the attack was telling, as Apolinario’s performance in the fifth round suggested the fight was heading toward a point of no return.

Time was called when Apolinario managed to sell the referee a low blow midway through the fifth round. Ayala’s right hook appeared to land squarely on the middle, but was instead ruled a low blow. Ayala ignored it and continued to attack Apolinario’s middle.

Ayala emphatically closed the show in round six.

His ability to seamlessly transition from orthodox to left-handed and back again was effective. Apolinario was unable to stop the attack from either side and found himself on the canvas again. This time it was ruled a knockdown, although he managed to beat the count.

However, Apolanario was not yet completely secure.

Ayala sensed the end was near and made sure he wouldn’t let his undefeated opponent slip away from his hook—literally. A series of right hooks and brutal body shots broke Apolinario’s spirit and he sent him to his knees once again. This time it was a full ten, prompting celebrations on the other side of the ring.

This victory was far more satisfying for Ayala than any other, including the win that earned him a title shot.

A controversial 12-round decision over Felix Alvarado saw Ayala advance to a mandatory fight in both the WBC and IBF. Their October 14 fight in Merida, Mexico was closely contested, but Alvarado (41-4, 35 KOs) was initially declared the winner.

The celebrations didn’t last long as the former IBF 108-pound champion. The ring announcer immediately made a correction, revealing that Ayala had won with scores of 114-113 on all three cards.

Ayala’s team opted to go the IBF route because then-WBC champion Julio Cesar Martinez was already committed to defending his title. That led to a long wait, including the cancellation of plans for a spot on the Naoya Inoue-Luis Nery card on May 6 in Tokyo.

Zanfer Boxing, Ayala’s promoter, won the bidding war with a bid of $250,500 to secure promotional rights. Ayala and Apolinario earned $125,500 each as the IBF’s top two contenders.

That evening both boxers fought their first title fight.

Apolinario fought away from home for the fourth time in his last five fights, although the fight was a massive step up in the competition. While Ayala won a title eliminator, Apolinario earned a title shot by attrition. His effort was respectable enough that he expects to return to this stage.

For now, it’s Ayala who joins the division’s top brass. He entered the fight as the No. 4 flyweight in The Ring’s rankings, a status that will improve by at least one spot by the next time the rankings are updated.

It is the third flyweight victory of 2024, with the WBC title still vacant.

Seigo Yuri Akui, the No. 2 112-weight contender, dethroned long-reigning WBA champion Artem Dalakian (22-1, 15 KOs), the No. 2 112-weight contender, on Jan. 23 in Osaka, Japan. The victory came a month after Rodriguez unified the IBF and WBO titles with a ninth-round knockout of Bright Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs). However, the unified reign did not last long. The Ring No. 5-ranked contender relinquished both belts in behind schedule March to return to junior bantamweight, where he now holds The Ring and WBC titles.

Martinez relinquished his WBC title to fight at 115 pounds, albeit under questionable terms. As reported by The Ring, he tested positive for banned diuretics in his March 30 title defense against Angelino Cordova. Martinez has since been handed a nine-month retroactive suspension.

Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KO) and Cristofer Rosales (37-6, 22 KO) are set to fight for the vacant WBC title. No date has been set for the fight, which is set to take place in the fourth quarter of 2024.

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

Akui and Ayala are both rated just below former IBF flyweight champion Bright Edwards (21-1, 4 KOs). The Ring’s No. 1-ranked flyweight returned to the top of the fight charts with a technical decision victory over Adrien Curiel on June 29 on the undercard of Rodriguez’s seventh-round knockout of Juan Francisco Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs).

The victory came at a price, as Edwards suffered a nasty gash. He is now the IBF’s top-ranked contender for his venerable title, although he is not the mandatory challenger.

Regardless, a matchup between Ayala and Edwards could be considered for the vacant Ring Championship, depending on the next rankings update.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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Boxing

Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC

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Badou Jack Rozicki Mikaelian WBC

The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).

If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.

“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”

29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.

Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.

“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”

Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.

The next move is Badou Jack’s.

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Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years

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Floyd Mayweather 50-0

Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.

This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.

In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.

“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.

“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.

Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.

Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.

Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.

However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.

In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.

It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.

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Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios

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Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios

WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.

Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”

WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.

Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.

As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.

However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.

Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.

Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.

Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.

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