CONLAN SAYS ANCAJAS IS SECOND BEST SUPERFLY CHAMPION NEXT TO INOUE AND BETTER THAN SOR RUNGVISAI
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 31 Oct 2017
Jamie Conlan believes IBF junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas, whom he will face come November 18, as the second best of the 115-pound title holders. He rates Ancajas above Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, the Thai titlist who defeated Roman Gonzalez twice. Conlan (19-0, 11 KOs) was able to observe his prospective opponent in July when Ancajas (27-1-1, 18 KOs) demolished Teiru Kinoshita as supporting bout to Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn in Brisbane, Australia.
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Conlan?s younger brother, undefeated featherweight Michael Conlan, the controversial 2016 Olympian fought on the undercard. Jamie Conlan remembered the Filipino champ requested a photo with his brother, who became very popular for his middle finger protest during the 2016 Rio Olympics. In that fight Michael stopped Australian Jarrett Owen by 3rd round TKO. In the same card, Ancajas defended his IBF title by 7th round TKO of Kinoshita of Japan.
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?I do believe he?s better than Kal Yafai, I believe he is probably the second best in the division with [WBO champion Naoya] Inoue being the best. I don?t think he?s the weakest champion at all,? Conlan was quoted by Ryan Songalia of RingTV.com. ?I think he?s a great fighter. He?s a world champion for a reason in probably one of the hottest contested divisions at the moment. To be a world champion in the super flyweight division says something about you as a boxer. It?s the toughest I?ve seen in the world at the moment."
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Jerwin Ancajas' camp hired four sparring partners to prepare the world champion for his title defense against Ireland?s Jamie Conlan. Trainer Joven Jimenez shared that Ancajas must spar 80 rounds to make sure he maintains his ?Pretty Boy? image when he goes up against the ?Irish Gatti.? Pete Panitente, Daniel Lim, Allan Alberca and John Mark Alimane are sparring with Ancajas. ?So that every round his sparring partners would be fresh with different styles,? Jimenez told ABS-CBN News.
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There is one spar mate who loves to brawl while another one wants to box from the distance. There is a slow one and a fast fighter. Jimenez added that Ancajas must prepare for every version of Conlan inside the ring. "We want Jerwin to become super aggressive and super conditioned for the fight," said Jimenez. The champion is currently training in Magallanes, Cavite. Jimenez said his group plans to fly to Ireland 8 days before the bout to be properly acclimatized.
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Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn wants his fighter to face the former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in his next fight. Joshua successfully defended his IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight titles by 10th round TKO over Carlos Takam and a unification with WBO champion Joseph Parker or WBC champion Deontay Wilder will most likely be his next move. But Hearn is still hoping of a blockbuster bout with Fury, who is still undergoing a UK Anti-Doping drugs ban.
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"I think the Wilder fight is potentially one of the biggest in world boxing and I think that fight is realistically going to happen in the summer of 2018," Hearn told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek. "But Tyson Fury is a guy who we'd love to see come into the sport. Whether that'll happen or not is another issue. The problem for him is to overcome the governing body and UK Anti-Doping." Hearn said he thinks Fury will come back. "I'd love to see the Anthony Joshua fight and I'd like to see it in 2018."
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October has been a very busy month for the World Boxing Association (WBA) Classifications Committee. The super lightweight, welterweight, super welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight divisions had the most significant changes in the October rankings. At super lightweight, American Terence Crawford wanted to be classified in the higher welterweight division, vacating the WBA super lightweight throne.
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While in the welterweight division, the regular title was vacated, since Lamont Peterson resigned, the division has only a single champion in American Keith Thurman, the WBA welterweight super champion. Meanwhile, the super welterweight division no longer has an interim champion, due to Demetrius Andrade?s resignation, thus the immediate classification within the middleweight division. Argentine Brian Casta?o was then elevated to regular champion.
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At the middleweight division, Japanese Ryota Murata, dethroned Cameroonian Hassan N?Dam and became the regular champion, which awarded him the accolade as boxer of the month. The WBA middleweight super champion is still Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan. Finally, in the light heavyweight division, Russian Dmitry Bivol was elevated to full champion becoming the only WBA champion of that division.
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Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Gabriel ?Napao? Gonzaga has a successful pro boxing debut Saturday night in Worcester, Massachusetts fought another pro-debut boxer with little MMA experience, Alejandro Esquilin Santiago. Gonzaga connected some hard shots in the opening round. He paced the third and both fighters had some good exchanges in the final round. Gonzaga was awarded a fourth-round majority decision win.
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On Sunday night, the Golden State Warriors, lost to the Detroit Pistons. It was their third loss in seven games. Earlier in the evening the Cleveland Cavaliers, favorites to enter the Finals for the fourth year in a row, lost to the New York Knicks at home. The Cavs have lost four of their last five and their record is now 3-4, good for 10th place in the East. Also on Sunday, the Indiana Pacers defeated the San Antonio Spurs, who also lost to the Orlando Magic.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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