Second Overtime: Make it eight for Jerwin the great
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 08 Dec 2019
CHICAGO -- In a matter of hours, Jerwin Ancajas will climb the ring at the Auditorio GNP Seguras in Puebla, Mexico to defend his IBF super flyweight title for the eighth time.
While boxing is as unpredictable as a woman's impulse. this bout against Miguel Gonzales will be easy as Sunday morning for Jerwin. And I say that not out of blind loyalty or because I'm colored brown like him.
I predict an Ancajas victory for the simple reason that a different outcome goes against the grain of logic and common sense.
Here's the skinny, the fat facts you need to know.
Ancajas at 5-foot-6 is two-and-a-half inches taller. He also has a two-inch reach advantage, Jerwin is three years younger at 27 and has the edge in the truest barometer that measures a champion --- power.
With 21 KOs in 31 wins against only one defeat and two draws, Ancajas has the kind of fury that will make typhoon "Tisoy" look like a harmless drizzle.
Gonzales on the other hand has had more pillow fight than hard fights. He only has eight KOs in a modestly respectable record of 31 victories and two losses.
Ancajas has been heavily favored by all betting sites to to prevail and one site even had the to audacity to install the Filipino as a 20-1 favorite.
I don;t know if Gonzales, a native of Chile, was named after Miguel the saint. But as he challenges the Pinoy southpaw, the more appropriate name to lean on might be Jude. the patron saint of lost causes.
There are miracles in boxing, yes, but those are few and far between. And upset losses only happen to those who get complacent and those who are less dedicated.
Jerwin is neither.
He understands the rust and long layoff might blemish his armor but he is "ready" and "in good shape," said his trainer Joven Jimenez.
All this time, while being idle since May this year, Jerwin has watched his weight diligently, eating less calories than Miss Universe. He sent me a video message three days ago. He was 117 pounds and happy. I was 180 and hungry.
"We will proceed with caution," added celebrity journalist Manolo Chino Trinidad, a dear friend of Team Ancajas, who flew to the beautiful land of tacos and tequilla to "observe" and support Jerwin's contuining quest for greatness beyond what he has already achieved.
To those who have both followed or disliked my works at various media platforms over the years, they know that I've never been shy giving out fight predictions. I'm not about to start now.
So here's what will happen.
Jerwin will start with an abundance of caution, probe his shorter foe, create distance with stiff stabs. But once the champ finds his footing and his rhythm it will be Hail Mary for Miguel Gonzales.
Jerwin is fast. He is strong. Jerwin is the windshield, Gonzales the unlucky fly.
In this, his eighth title defense. Jerwin Ancajas will be great in eight.
But don't be surprised if he closes out the show earlier and be home quicker.
Back into the waiting, loving arms of his wife and children in the Philippines.
Editor's note. The Chicago-based author is a regular sports columnist at SPIN.ph. He began his career in 1993 as the assistant sports editor at a Cebu City newspaper. Sayson is the former U.S. editor of NBA.com Philppines and is currently the U.S. editor of Sports on Air.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
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