Sanchez KOs Mayol in 9th

MANILA, Phililippines - Filipino Rodel Mayol failed to wrest the IBF super-flyweight title when he was knocked out by Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. late in the ninth round in Los Mochis, Sinaola in Mexico Sunday.

Mayol, the former WBC light-flyweight champion, decked Sanchez with a vicious left hook just as the bell ending the fifth round sounded. But he failed to finish off Sanchez in the succeeding rounds.

In the eighth, Mayol got into trouble and was barely hanging on in the ninth when he was caught with a left straight. He lost his balance, fell off the ring and crashed on the TV panel’s table.

Mayol, 31, struggled to get back inside the ring. He did. But as he was about to get up he stumbled against the ropes. The referee had no choice but to stop the fight.

Under the rules, a boxer who is thrown off the ring because of a knockdown is given a 20-second count. While the referee didn’t count up to 20, stopping the fight was a wise decision.

Mayol looked dazed and bruised as he tried to get up. The referee stopping the fight only saved him from further harm against the 21-year-old Mexican.

It didn’t take long for Mayol to regain his bearing. Smiling, he congratulated Sanchez for the win. Reports said he will continue fighting.