ANCAJAS IS ALWAYS COMPARED TO PACQUIAO
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 13 Jan 2018
IBF world super-flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas is always compared to Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao, oftentimes equating his overwhelming speed and power. But the young champ really has a huge boxing shoes to fill. "Pretty Boy" Ancajas fights Israel Gonzalez on February 3, and a devastating performance would compare him more to the fighting senator. Ancajas believes that following the path of the eight-division world champion will be very difficult.
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"For my part I just do whatever I can to get even just a little closer to Sir Manny?s level," Ancajas told BoxNation. "Yes, it is so hard and I feel very pressured with people saying that I will follow in the footsteps of Sir Manny, we all know that it will take years before anyone can follow in Sir Manny?s footsteps." He said he will just do whatever he can to get even just a little closer to Pacquiao's level.
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"They say that I will be the next Manny, so I try to be diligent in my training so when the time comes they will not get disappointed." The 26-year-old champion did not stop from hoping to fight big name boxers, including Naoya Inoue, who is said to be moving up to his bantamweight division. "I want Naoya Inoue, he is the number one, a dream opponent because he is the best. As a fighter?you always dream of going up against a good fighter."
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But, Ancajas must surmount Gonzalez first and make some big news on his debut in the US. "For me it is a very important fight because it will be my first fight in America,? said Ancajas. ?People in America have a different way of choosing a boxer to follow so I have to impress them with a win!"
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Oscar De La Hoya has denied reports from Mexico stating that Canelo Alvarez versus Gennady Golovkin rematch is a done deal for May 5 in Las Vegas. Reports were released on Thursday evening as announcements in Spanish stated "GGG v Canelo 2 was agreed for Cinco de Mayo at the T-Mobile Arena." But still some known journalists in the United States wrote articles stating that the fight was close but that New York was a serious competitor as to the venue of the rematch.
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Conflicting news and views caused confusion, so the Golden Boy boss posted a tweet stating that no deal was yet agreed upon. "@Canelo vs @GGGBoxing is not done and not close to being done considering reports. I promise all the fans it will get done soon if and when @GGGBoxing agrees to the rematch," said De La Hoya clarifying that Golovkin's team were causing the delay.
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T-Mobile Arena is still the favored venue because holding it in Madison Square Garden in New York gives Golovkin a home court advantage and seems an unlikely provision for Canelo to agree. Madison Square Garden in Manhattan has hosted several of Golovkin's fights, including his convincing wins over Daniel Jacobs, Curtis Stevens and David Lemieux.
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Eric Gomez, the President of Golden Boy Promotions told BoxingScene, "It's imminent, I think we're very, very close. There's final little details that we're working on, right now." He said he is in constant communication with Tom Loeffler of GGG Promotions ten times in the last three days and they are working hard to come up an agreement. "Canelo's ready to go, he's ready to sign. From what Tom tells me Golovkin's ready to sign, Oscar (De La Hoya) is ready to sign. It's just a matter of getting everything down right, just final little details."
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But speaking from the Indio Boys and Girls Club, Gomez stated, "Vegas is strong but there's also a very, very strong offer that's coming from New York. Once we get everything signed we're going to get to work, we're going to start our discussions and our meetings with the venues and see what's the best fit for it but Vegas is very strong," Gomez added. "You can't go wrong with Vegas. We were treated very, very well for the first fight. We did a lot of business but New York is a player and they're coming coming strong and they're talking big, big guarantees."
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Jeff Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs) will face the biggest fight of his career when the WBO welterweight champion?s camp agreed to the important terms for a mandatory defense against Terence Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs). An official announcement is expected next week for the April 21 fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Horn?s trainer Glenn Rushton told AAP he was satisfied with the renegotiated purse and said they are ready to sign the contracts.
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?As far as we?re concerned, it?s pretty much a deal,? Rushton said. ?But no deal?s done until it?s done, so we just have to cross t?s, dot i?s and actually get this thing locked down. We have certainly agreed on all the key terms and from our side, it?s a go. Now Bob (Arum)?s got to tidy up some loose ends. We have total confidence in Bob and Top Rank that he?ll get this all locked up and we?ll have a contract in our hands by the end of next week.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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