Filipino journeyman Alvin Camique pulled off the biggest victory of his career on Friday, stopping world-rated bantamweight contender Ibrahim Mafia in the fourth round at Viwanja vya Posta Kijitonyama in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The time of stoppage was 1:53.
Camique, 11-4 (5 KOs), dropped the previously unbeaten Mafia, 13-1-1 (9 KOs), with a counter overhand right midway through the fourth. After being given a very slow count to recover, Mafia was greeted by another flush right hand, sending him reeling into the corner, where the fight was stopped.
The loss is a major setback for the 23-year-old Mafia, who entered the fight rated no. 11 by the WBC at 118lbs. The win is the second straight for the 28-year-old Camique, of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat province in the Philippines, who had lost his only two previous fights abroad, both by decision in the previous year in Japan.
The loss snaps an impressive five-fight winning streak which included a knockout of former title challenger Prasitsak Phaprom, having beaten opponents with a combined record of 87-6-4.
