No one has ever knocked out champion female boxer Alice Kate Aparri. Until she got knocked up recently.
According to a source, the World Championship bronze medalist got pregnant, dashing hopes of a gold-medal performance in the Myanmar (Burma) Southeast Asian Games.
The 29-year-old Aparri is a three-time SEA Games gold medalist and her absence in the games scheduled Dec. 11 to 22 is another potential gold down the drain.
Former Asian long jump queen Marestella Torres is also in the family way.
Torres, who saw action in the Beijing and London Olympics, took a leave a few months back and begged off from participating in the SEA Games after announcing her pregnancy.
Philippine Sports Commission executive director Guillermo Iroy confirmed that the agency has suspended the monthly allowance of Aparri but declined to provide details.
Iroy said Aparri, the pride of Benguet, was deep in training with the boxing team in Baguio City when she informed the PSC about her unexpected leave.
Just like Torres, Aparri is a priority athlete under the government sports agency after winning the flyweight gold in the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia.
She was part of the 12-fighter lineup submitted by the Amateur Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (Abap) to the SEA Games task force made up of top officials of the PSC and Philippine Olympic Committee.
Light fly Irish Magno is expected to move up to 51 kg to fill the void left by Aparri, said Iroy.