New hope for Jerwin
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 29 Jun 2023
Former IBF superflyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas rebounded from back-to-back losses to Argentinian nemesis Fernando Martinez to thrash Colombia’s Wilner Soto via a fifth round TKO at The Armory in Minneapolis last weekend and declared himself ready to challenge WBA bantamweight titlist Takuma Inoue in Tokyo in November this year.
Ancajas wouldn’t be denied a smashing victory as he delivered power shots to the body, flooring Soto once in the fourth and once more in the fifth before referee Charlie Fitch ended the carnage at the 2:43 mark. He was all business from the start, finding an easy target for his sledgehammer blows. When Ancajas battled Martinez, he struggled to make the 115-pound limit and couldn’t muster the energy to stand his ground. This time, he scaled 121.8 pounds, below the catchweight max of 122, and entered the ring at 138. It’s not unusual for Ancajas to bloat 16.2 pounds overnight as his walking weight is between 135 to 140.
Ancajas looked like the champion who reigned from 2016 to 2022, racking up nine successful defenses, in dominating Soto. He whacked the Colombian as if swinging a bat for a homerun and left the hapless Soto like a broken rag doll. The fight was scheduled for eight rounds but Ancajas had no plans of going the distance.
Ancajas said when the opportunity came to bludgeon Soto, he seized it. “Akala ko tatayo pa siya,” he noted, recalling the fifth round knockdown. “Lumuhod si Soto at nagpabilang tapos tinigil na ng referee. Ang susi sa laban ay mahabang preparasyon at kumportable ako sa timbang. Napakaganda ng kondisyon ko, footwork, galaw ng paa.” Ancajas’ coach Joven Jimenez said the plan was to box in the early rounds then attack the body starting the third frame.
Jimenez said they’re staying in the US to continue training until the Inoue bout. No point in coming home, said Jimenez. It will be five straight months of intense preparation with strength and conditioning coach Memo Heredia in Las Vegas. MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons said Soto was the perfect opponent to bring back Ancajas’ confidence. Gibbons’ son Brendan picked Soto for the fight. Soto started his career on a 15-0 run but has now lost seven in a row to dip his record to 22-12 with 12 KOs.
Ancajas, 31, is ranked No. 5 by IBF and No. 8 by WBA in the bantamweight division. The vacant IBF throne will be occupied by the winner of the Emmanuel Rodriguez-Melvin Lopez fight on July 15 in Las Vegas. Inoue, 27, claimed the vacant WBA bantamweight crown on a unanimous 12-round decision over Venezuela’s Liborio Solis in Tokyo last April. Gibbons is in talks with Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda for Inoue to stake his belt against Ancajas. Inoue has an 18-1 record, with four KOs and his only loss was to Frenchman Nordine Oubaali on points in 2019. He holds wins over Filipinos Jake Bornea (Jade’s twin), Mark John Yap, Froilan Saludar, Rene Dacquel and Mark Anthony Geraldo. Inoue’s older brother Naoya, the unbeaten Monster, is set to face WBC/WBO superbantamweight ruler Stephen Fulton in Tokyo on July 25. Ancajas said dropping down to 118 won’t be a problem. He’s knocked out two Japanese opponents so far, Teiru Kinoshita and Ryuichi Funai. Adding a third to his list of Japanese victims is on top of his mind.
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