ANCAJAS WANTS TO BE THE BEST
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 03 Feb 2018
IBF junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas says he is like his idol Manny Pacquiao, who happens to be his co-promoter, who has the heart to win, and he also wants to apply that to himself. ?I also want to become the best among boxers because I did not get into boxing just for the sake of being in boxing. I got into boxing because I wanted to be counted among the best,? said Ancajas who battles Mexico's Israel Gonzalez this Saturday (Sunday Philippine time) in Corpus Christi, Texas.
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He added that is why he said to himself "This fight will boil down to who will have the mentality, the brains. I will also need to pressure him,? as quoted by Rappler's Ryan Songalia. Ancajas is the favorite to win and retain his title, but he wants do it so in an impressive fashion to set himself up for some high profile bouts with big-name opponents in the presently very popular junior bantamweight or superflyweight division.
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Ancajas? matchmaker Sean Gibbons says he has seen Gonzalez twice in Mexico. Ancajas also has viewed his work on the mitts. ?I can tell that he is a good boxer because his punches are perfect, and he has good footwork,? said Ancajas. ?I also saw his sparring and I could see that he has a technique. I see him as a real boxer."
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If he would be allowed to pick his next opponent, he likes to fight WBC champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand who twice defeated then pound-for-pound king Roman ?Chocolatito? Gonzalez last year. ?Right now I want the Thai because he is the best among us,? said Ancajas. ?I want to try, as a fighter, I want to try his expertise, his strength.? Beating the Thai champion would mean unquestioned superiority in the superflyweight division.
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Former two division world champion Terence Crawford believes he was rejected as far as the "Fighter of The Year" award is concerned. The Boxing Writers Association of America awarded that honor to WBO super featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko. Last year, Lomachenko had three KO victories over Jason Sosa, Miguel Marriaga and Guillermo Rigondeaux. And Crawford thinks he performed better in 2017 than Lomachenko.
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Crawford started the year by stopping Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz. Then the undefeated Ameican fighter ended the year by knocking out previously undefeated titlist Julius Indongo in three rounds. By that triumph he was able to unify the entire junior welterweight division becoming only the second boxer in history, after Bernard Hopkins, to grab all four major titles in his division to include WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO belts.
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Crawford feels Lomachenko was overhyped for beating Guillermo Rigondeaux, who moved up by two weight divisions to challenge the Ukrainian. The Cuban was an inactive boxer for the last few years. "He's a tremendous talent," Crawford told Yahoo Sports referring to Lomachenko. "But, I do not rate him as the number one pound-for-pound. I do not rate him as the Fighter of The Year. Why? Because when we sat down, and I said that if Lomachenko comes up two weight classes and fights me, and I beat him, none of you will give me credit - because ya'll are gonna say that I'm too big for him."
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It was officially announced by The Ring that Tyson Fury was stripped of his title by the authoritative Bible of Boxing for failing to schedule a fight by the deadline set on January 31. Fury has been inactive since surprisingly defeating Wladimir Klitschko in Germany last November 2015 to seize the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO, Ring heavyweight titles. After that fight, Fury was immediately stripped of his IBF title when he failed to make a mandatory defense against Czar Glazkov.
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In 2016, Fury abandoned the WBO, WBA, IBO belts to concentrate on issues with depression and substance abuse hounding him. His boxing license was recently renewed by the British Boxing Board of Control and he began training for a proposed return on a date in April to be scheduled yet. But even with The Ring title being taken away, Fury is still the lineal champion of the division. "The Ring would like to make it clear that this decision had not been taken lightly. The Ring championship belt is the closest representation to a lineal champion in the sport today, and Tyson Fury was extremely proud to be part of our heavyweight history," The Ring magazine stated.
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'We deeply regret separating from the lineal championship and we would hope that fans appreciate our reasons for giving Tyson every opportunity over the past two years. We wish our former champion the very best for the future and we will be happy to re-rank him when appropriate."
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The Ring also did not consider the vacant title to be contested in the upcoming heavyweight unification between Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker for the WBO, IBF, IBO, WBA world titles on March 31 in Cardiff, Wales. It seems that the vacant title would only be at stake when the Joshua-Parker winner faces the winner between WBC champion Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz on March 3.
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Floyd Mayweather is going to Minnesota where he is set to meet with Showtime Sports boss Stephen Espinoza. According to Espinoza, he will definitely discuss with the former pound-for-pound king the subject of him entering a probable Mixed Martial Arts fight. "It will be a topic of conversation," Espinoza told TMZ Sports. "There's a chance ... whatever he puts his mind to, he sort of wills into happening. [Floyd] willed the McGregor fight into happening. So, if he sets his mind to it, it'll happen."
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In the few days that passed, Mayweather has posted two videos teasing some fans that he's going to make his debut in the MMA. In both videos, a barefoot Mayweather enters an octagon cage and did some moves. "2018. Floyd 'Money' Mayweather. MMA. What are the odds Paddy," Mayweather said on one of the videos that went viral on the internet. Conor McGregor has positive opinion of Mayweather if the boxer makes true with the speculation. ?If he does do it, I know he?s flirting with it, I would have respect for him. I think it would get his earned respect then, if he was to step in [the Octagon],? McGregor said to Adam Glyn. ?He?s engaging, we?re engaging, so we?ll see.?
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However, McGregor thinks the gimmick will backfire on Mayweather if he is simply hyping up the move just to keep his name for publicity. ?Of course, I?m seeing all the stuff Floyd?s putting out, all the stuff in the media,? McGregor said. ?If it is [just hype], it will follow him for the rest of his days that he did not do it. I said I would do it and I stepped up and I done it. His time now. I went into his game, he should come into mine.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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