SPORTS SHORTS 279: JERWIN ANCAJAS TO FACE FERNANDO DANIEL MARTINEZ OF ARGENTINA IN FEBRUARY
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 31 Dec 2021
Jerwin Ancajas will have another fight scheduled after his title unification bout against Kazuto Ioka was cancelled due to Japan's strict COVID-19 restrictions. Per BoxingScene, the five-year IBF junior bantamweight champion will next face Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez tentatively set in the United States.
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The temporary date is February 19, according to a Rappler report either in New York or New Jersey as the venue.
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“Team Ancajas was looking forward to this historic fight against Ioka but understands there are bigger concerns than boxing in Japan and the world with the situation caused by the emergence of the latest variant,” said Sean Gibbons as told to RingTV.
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“We remain committed to making this fight happen as soon as possible in Japan.”
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Ancajas failed to travel to Japan for a unification match with WBO champion Kazuto Ioka (27-2, 15 KOs). The two were supposed to clash on Friday New Year's Eve in Tokyo, but Ancajas (33-1-2, 22 KOs) was replaced due to Japan's ban of foreign travelers since November 30 to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant.
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Ioka will instead fight countryman Ryoji Fukunaga at Ota-City Gymnasium in Tokyo. "Not being able to have the unification bout on New Year's Eve is unfortunate. But now that this is decided, I want to win and build on that for my next fight," Ioka said as quoted by Kyodo News.
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Fukunaga (15-4, 14 KO) has won five straight fights, four by knockout, since his loss to Kongfah CP Freshmart in hostile territory in 2018. He had since won the WBO Asia Pacific title, the OPBF title, and the Japanese title and is ranked No. 6 by the WBO.
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Ancajas last engaged in well-fought twelve-round win over Jonathan Javier Rodriguez last April at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
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Martinez (13-0, 8 KOs) will be entering his first career title fight, and it will also be his U.S. debut. The 30-year-old challenger from Buenos Aires, Argentina fights abroad for the third time in his last four fights after having previously fought only in his country.
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Martinez is a 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympian, has joined in the World Series of Boxing by AIBA, and has seized 13 straight wins with 8 knockouts since he turned professional in 2017.
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Ancajas has an advantage in experience though and has also tussled with tougher foes since September 3, 2016 when he grabbed the IBF title from Puerto Rican McJoe Arroyo in the Jurado Hall, Taguig City.
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For trainer Joven Jimenez, however, Martinez poses a legitimate threat. According to Jimenez, Ancajas will switch to a defensive stance and rely mainly on his counterpunching skills when he tangles with Martinez.
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With the fight seven weeks away, Ancajas has resumed sparring sessions, including once against fellow Filipino Mark Magsayo, who will be chasing American Gary Russell Jr.’s WBC featherweight belt on January 22 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
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The fight with is the first major fight for Martinez, and his best win yet came in his first career fight abroad. Martinez scored an eleventh-round knockout of Athenkosi Dumezweni in December 16, 2019 in East London, South Africa.
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He later won by split decision against countryman Angel Nicolas Aquino (9-4-1, 4 KOs) in Buenos Aires in December 11 last year. He traveled overseas for his latest fight, a fourth-round knockout of journeyman Mexico's Gonzalo Garcia (19-22-2, 10 KOs) last August 13 in Dubai.
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Ancajas will comeback to the ring having held his IBF junior bantamweight title for 65 months. He has the third longest reign among current world titlists.
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WBC featherweight titlist Gary Russell Jr. (31-1, 18 KOs) is champion since March 28, 2015 and WBA strawweight champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong a.k.a Knockout CP Freshmart (23-0, 9KOs) is champion since June 29, 2016. They are the only current titleholders ahead of Ancajas on the list.
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The postponed unification bout between Ancajas and Ioka will likely be moved to May according to Joven Jimenez, Ancajas’ trainer and manager. He has to defend first his title against Martinez in February before they face Ioka in a unification bout.
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“First we have to defend the title against Martinez then after that we hold the unification against Ioka,” said Jimenez as quoted by Inquirer Sports. "That’s why we’re still focused right now because it would be nearly a year since Jerwin fought.”
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Andrew Moloney called out WBO junior bantamweight champion Kazuto Ioka following his dominant 10-round victory over Froilan Saludar last Tuesday night in Sydney. Moloney is the WBO’s No. 13 contender for Ioka’s title, though he is slated to surge up in the WBO’s ratings.
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“I believe I’m world-title caliber,” Moloney was quoted by Boxing Scene after his win against Saludar. “I’ve been world champion before, so I wanna get back to there as soon as possible. The WBO is the route we wanna go. I hope I can get a fight with Kazuto Ioka as soon as possible.”
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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