Arum advises Ancajas to be cautious
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — From the dais at the press conference on Wednesday (Thursday, Phl time), Bob Arum cautioned about Jerwin Ancajas looking past the man he'll make his sixth title defense against, Mexico's Alejandro Santiago.
Santiago has made a career outperforming expectations, going to his opponents' hometowns on several occasions to earn draws, which often in boxing means a win, and no advantage that Ancajas has with the crowd in the heavilyFilipino populated Bay Area will intimidate him.
"I saw the aggression in his eyes," said Ancajas after the two faced off, just days before they meet on Friday (Saturday in Manila) in an IBF super flyweight title defense streamed live on ESPN+ in the U.S., and broadcast on ESPN5 in the Philippines.
Should Ancajas get past the durable challenger, trainer Joven Jimenez said the plan is to travel to Thailand to watch the next title defense of WBC/Ring Magazine 115-pound kingpin Srisakit Sor Rungvisai against Iran Diaz on October 6. Ancajas and team hope to get him in the ring in the future, though he is likely due for a mandatory rematch against Juan Francisco Estrada.
"Even boxing fans that don't pay much attention to fighters in this weight category know that this is a tremendous fight," said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum of a bout between Ancajas and Sor Rungvisai.
First, Ancajas must get past the 22-year-old Santiago (16-2-4, 7 KOs), who is the no. 14 ranked contender by the IBF. He said he began focusing on boxing after becoming a Taekwondo black belt at age 12, and made his pro debut at age 16. His favorite boxer is Floyd Mayweather Jr., but his style is more aggressive than the unbeaten pay-per-view star. —