SPORTS SHORTS 31: JERWIN ANCAJAS EYES DANGEROUS MEXICAN JONATHAN JAVIER RODRIGUEZ
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 21 Jan 2021
After six months being stranded in the United States, International Boxing Federation (IBF) superflyweight world champion Jerwin Ancajas will finally be able to officially climb back atop the ring. MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons announced that an April bout is now being eyed for the long postponed ninth title defense of the Filipino champion against Mexican Jonathan Javier Rodriguez.
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Ancajas was supposed to clash with Rodriguez on November 2, 2019 in Carson, California, but the Mexican had encountered US visa issues. They were scheduled to battle last April 11, 2020 but the fight got canceled again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully the fight will push through and if successful, the Panabo City, Davao del Norte native will be going for a title unification fight with IBF champion Japan's Kazuto Ioka (26-2, 15 KOs).
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Rodriguez, age 25 years of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, has made Felipe Orucuta, age 35 years of Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico, end in comatose after the fight by way of a 10th round technical knockout on June 7, 2019 in Mexico. Orucuta underwent a head operation to remove a blood clot, and spent nearly two months in the hospital before his full recovery, never to fight again. Rodriguez then knocked out Julian Yedras of Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico in the first round, lasting only 2 minutes and 27 seconds on December 4, 2020.
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Ancajas is not at all afraid of Rodriguez's punching prowess. "I saw his (fighting) style and I really want an opponent like him," Ancajas said in Filipino. "He is determined and isn't afraid to slug it out." He promised his countrymen not to relinquish his IBF belt. "I won't let the crown slip away," said Ancajas as quoted by Roy Luarca of SPIN.ph. "I'll do everything to win. That no matter what happens, the fans would be satisfied."
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Ancajas (32-1-2, 22 KOs) and Rodriguez (22-1, 16 KOs) are friends on Facebook and they monitor each other's actions. Ancajas has been training with Joven Jimenez and sparring with Jonas Sultan, and sometimes with Eumir Marcial. They live in the same apartments in Los Angeles.
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Ancajas stopped Ryuichi Funai, age 35 years of Tokyo, Japan, at the start of the 7th round and knocked out Miguel Gonzalez, age 31 years of Santiago, Chile in 6 rounds in his eighth title defense on December 7, 2019, in Puebla, Mexico.
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Eddie Hearn, promoter of heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte, believes a clash with former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder would be a massive fight. Wilder, age 35 years of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has not fought since getting stopped in seven rounds by Tyson Fury in February 2020, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Whyte, age 32 years, British boxer born in Port Antonio, Jamaica, was last seen in August 2020 when he was defeated via a fifth round knockout by Alexander Povetkin (36-2-1, 25 KOs) at Matchroom's Fight Camp in Brentwood, Essex, England.
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"The focus is AJ against Fury of course, but Dillian Whyte would put himself in that position for a world championship," Hearn told Sky Sports News. "I love the Deontay Wilder fight. Wilder against Whyte is a fight we've talked about a long time. Dillian Whyte called for that fight for about three years and then all of a sudden Deontay Wilder lost, now he's calling for the Dillian Whyte fight." Hearn added that if Whyte can beat Povetkin, age 41 years of Kursk, Russia, Whyte (27-2, 18 KOs) against Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) will be a massive fight.
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Kai Sotto has committed to play for Gilas Pilipinas in its coming FIBA Asia window late next month. Another good news is that most Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players on the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ (SBP) wish list have given their approval to join the national pool in the bubble. The 7-foot-2 Sotto is scheduled to arrive this week if there are no hitches and he will be joined by at least 15 PBA players who are willing to join another bubble starting on January 22.
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FIBA World Cup veterans RR Pogoy and Troy Rosario of TNT Tropang Giga along with NLEX Road Warriors' center Raul Soyud are confirmed to enter the Gilas Pilipinas’ training bubble in Calamba, Laguna on Friday. The three pros will join with other PBA stars Kiefer Ravena of NLEX, CJ Perez of Terrafirma and Justin Chua of Phoenix, who are already inside the Inspire Sports Academy for the preparations ahead of next month’s FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in Clark. The Philippines will go against South Korea on February 18 and 22 and Indonesia on the 20th at the Angeles University Foundation.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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