Ancajas in first fight back in Asia; Pinoy fighters prospects in Japan
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 17 Oct 2023
After fighting in the Americas for more than half a decade during his long IBF title reign, former super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas will be back in Asia, specifically Japan, for a WBA bantamweight title crack versus defending beltholder Takuma Inoue on Thursday, November 15, 2023.
Jerwin thus will be among the first to test what is projected as Philippine boxing's shift or pivot to fighting more in Japan which had been the old resort or practice since the 1960s and now seen as the best option as the US boxing market has been focusing lately on staging higher weights marquee bouts
Former world champion Johnriel Casimero recently debuted in Japan but his first bout in the country held at the famed Ariake Arena against another ex IBF super bantam titlist Yukinori Oguni was unfortunately ruled as a 4th round technical draw due to injury to Oguni. Casimero though was leading in two of the scorecards of the all Japanese judges.
In the undercards, two other Filipino fighters won over their Japanese foes, former flyweight world title challenger Froilan Saludar via shock first round knockout over Keita Kurihara to wrest the OPBF bantamweight and flyweight Vince Paras took an eight round split decision against Kai Ishizawa in a clash of former minimumweight world title challengers.
So far, results have been encouraging which we hope will be the case in the coming bouts in Japan.
In December, unified WBA-IBF champion Marlon Tapales will clash with WBC-WBO titlist and current Japanese icon Naoya Inoue for the undisputed world super bantamweight championship. Most likely, there will be other Filipino fighters in the undercards as organizers are yet finalizing the full fight offering.
Though long absent from the Asian fight scene, Jerwin though is not new to fighting and beating Japanese opponents. In two of his nine successful defenses as IBF champion, Ancajas has faced two Japabese challengers Terou Kinoshita and Ryuji Funai both of whom he stopped within the distance.
Jerwin is coming off a TKO win over Wilner Soto in his last fight after losing his title and title rematch against Argentine buzzsaw Fernando Martinez.
But he is also coming from a long layoff.
And this will only be his second fight as bantanweight and his first as title challenger at his new weight.
Meanwhile, though still under the shadows of his more illustrious brother, Takuma is making a name for himself at bantamweight after failing in his try at world title versus then WBC titlist Nordine Oubaali in 2019.
Takuma won the vacant WBA crown by decision over the aging but still viable Liborio Solis last August.
He is making his first defense and Jerwin has been lucky he was chosen by Takuma himself. Some years back, Top Rank boss Bob Arum had toyed with the idea of pitting Naoya in a title defense against the then streaking Ancajas but it did not materialized. That could be in the back of the mind of Takuma in his choice of Jerwin.
Whatever it was, Jerwin should take and full use of his advantages in size as well as experience against Takuma who is also not new to fighting and beating Filipinos including Arthur Villanueva and Mark John Yap.
As for Marlon Tapales, though he is a heavy underdog against Naoya and fighting in his foe's home arena, he promised to give the Japanese Monster the fight of his life.
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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