Can Jerwin Ancajas Still Come Back?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 10 Oct 2022
All lingering doubts have been dispelled and it is now painfully clear that Jerwin Ancajas is no longer a viable fighter at 115 lbs or the junior bantamweight division.
Observers have been saying that Ancajas has outgrown the division as early as the pre-pandemic yet with his woes at the weight scale resulting to sputtering though still victorious performances beginning with his controversial draw with Mexican Santiago Barrios followed by successive points wins in title defenses against mainly second tier contenders.
They feared that Jerwin might have frittered away his best prime years fighting against mostly fringe contenders though the list of his title victims included the prominent likes of McJoe Arroyo, erstwhile celebrated ex Olympian Michael Conlan and yes, the tough Israel Gonzalez who later troubled Roman Chocolatito Gonzalez and current sensation Jessie 'Bam' Rodriguez in gallant decision losing bouts.
We certainly could not blame Jerwin that he had been avoided by his then bigger name fellow world titlists as Chocolatito Gonzalez, Juan Francisco 'El Gallo' Estrada and Joshua Franco as well as marquee names as Sor Rungvusai and Carlos Cuadras. He had been largely perceived as a high risk, low reward proposition.
Interestingly, it may have been this reputation that made Bob Arum for a while to consider Ancajas; then under Top Rank, as a possible foe for his rising superstar Naoya Inoue in an All IBF champions clash as a grand reintroduction of the Japanese Monster to the US audience. But Arum is of course also noted for his flight offantasies.
However it was a little known fact that the handlers of WBO champion Kazuto Ioka were seriously considering a unification fight with Ancajas. That was before Jerwin's supposed routinely title defense against a certain Fernando Martinez of Argentina.
But as fate would have it, Ancajas lost dismally to Martinez and the prospect of unification with Ioka went pfft.
Hence more than redemption and the chance to regain the IBF crown, Jerwin's motivation in his immediate title rematch versus Martinez was to rekindle hopes for that aimed title unification against the popular Ioka.
But then again, Jerwin lost by almost similar fashion to the brawling bull strong Argentine who fought much like his handler Rene Marcos Maidana.
And now, it is very evidently clear that Jerwin has not only outgrown the super flyweight but his days as among the top fighters in the division are over.
So the question now is, can Jerwin still come back and regain his status as a viable fighter in the higher weights, primarily in the 118 lbs or bantamweight class?
I would not hazard a guess. Not until we see Jerwin inside the ring again against a legitimate bantamweight, local or foreigner.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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