Irish challenger, nagbago ang isip kay Ancajas

KUNG dati’y minamaliit ni Briton Jamie Conlan si IBF junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas na hahamunin niya sa Nobyembre 18 sa Belfast, Northern Ireland, biglang nagbago ang kanyang isip sa pagsasabing mas magaling ang Pinoy boxer kay WBC super flyweight titlist Srisaket Sor Rungvisai ng Thailand.

Para kay Conlan, si Ancajas ang ikalawang pinakamahusay na super flyweight titlist sa buong mundo kasunod ni WBO 115-pound beltholder Naoya Inoue ng Japan.

Bagamat may perpektong rekord na 19 panalo, 11 sa knockouts, ngayong lamang haharap si Conlan sa kalibre ni Ancajas na may kartadang 27-1-1 may 18 pagwawagi sa knockouts at nasaksihan niya nang talunin nito si mandatory challenger Teiru Kinoshita via 7th round TKO sa supporting bout ng Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn WBO welterweight bout sa Brisbane, Australia noong nakaraang Hulyo 2.

“I do believe he’s better than Kal Yafai, I believe he is probably the second best in the division with [WBO champion Naoya] Inoue being the best. I don’t think he’s the weakest champion at all,” sabi ni Conlan sa RingTV.com.

“I think he’s a great fighter. He’s a world champion for a reason in probably one of the hottest contested divisions at the moment,”dagdag ni Conlan. “To be a world champion in the super flyweight division says something about you as a boxer. It’s the toughest I’ve seen in the world at the moment.”

Iginiiit ng trainer ni Ancajas na si Joven Jimenez na kumuha siya ng apat na boksingero bilang sparring partner ng kampeon para maging handa sa binansagang “Irish Gatti” pero hindi pa lumalaban sa labas ng teritoryo nito.

“So that every round his sparring partners would be fresh with different styles,” diin ni Jimenez hinggil sa boksingero ni eight- division world titlist Manny Pacquiao. “We want Jerwin to become super aggressive and super conditioned for the fight.”