Piala suffers knockout defeat in Japan, extends ARQ’s struggles

Bryx Piala (left) and Mikito Nakano (right). | PBO CV

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Bryx “The King” Piala became the latest ARQ Boxing Stable fighter to fall in Japan, suffering a brutal knockout defeat in the hands of Mikito Nakano on Saturday evening, September 7, at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

Piala’s loss adds to a growing string of setbacks for the Cebu-based ARQ Boxing Stable, marking the fifth time in less than a year that one of their fighters has been defeated on Japanese soil.

The fight ended abruptly in the fourth round, when a well-placed body shot from Nakano stopped Piala’s bid for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) featherweight title. The knockout came with just 34 seconds remaining in the round.

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The 22-year-old Piala, a promising featherweight from Cebu, now holds a record of 9-2 with 3 knockouts. Nakano, meanwhile, improved to an impressive 11-0 with 10 knockouts, adding Piala as the seventh Filipino fighter he has dispatched in his undefeated career.

This loss is another major blow to the ARQ Boxing Stable, which has been plagued by recent defeats. Their top prospect, John Paul Gabunilas, also suffered a knockout loss, falling to Thailand’s Thanongsak Simsri on August 4 at Osaka’s Edion Arena.

The defeats don’t stop there. Rodex Piala, Yerroge Gura, and Bryan James Wild have all fallen in Japan over the past year. Earlier this May, ARQ’s Ramil Macado was controversially knocked out in the first round by Lorenz Dumam-ag in Mandaue City, during a bout for the WBO Oriental flyweight title.

With Piala’s defeat, ARQ Boxing Stable faces an uphill battle to regain momentum after a difficult year on the international stage.