No Pacquiao but Ancajas on right path to stardom
FILIPINO Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas made an impressive United States debut last Sunday as he successfully defended his International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight title against Mexican challenger Israel Gonzalez via a 10th-round knockout.
And as expected, much praise was thrown the Panabo City native Ancajas’ way for the dominating performance he had, with some underscoring his standing as the next biggest thing in Philippine boxing after eight- division world champion Manny Pacquiao.
But while undeniably Mr. Ancajas is very deserving of all the success he is reaping as a prized fighter, local fight analyst Nissi Icasiano believes that boxing fans must not be too caught up with comparing Mr. Ancajas to Mr. Pacquiao and instead appreciate the former for the special boxer that he is, whose best years are still ahead of him.
“Definitely, he is not Manny Pacquiao. We should really stop the comparisons. Now that he is on the global stage, we should be happy that Jerwin Ancajas is his own man. Ancajas is more of a methodical pugilist like former Filipino champion Gerry Peñalosa. Most of the Filipino boxing fans are still used to Manny Pacquiao’s relentless style, but Jerwin Ancajas presents a different flavor,” said Mr. Icasiano when asked by BusinessWorld for his thoughts following Mr. Ancajas fight at the weekend in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“At the moment, I won’t change a single thing in his current stature as he is methodical and exciting. He’s not the kind of pugilist who will burn up the punch numbers. He is an enduring tactician who is most interested in getting the win. Although he maps out his victory in a systematic manner, he has a packed power in his fists that can bring his opponents to their knees,” added the analyst, who writes and talks about boxing and mixed martial arts for various media platforms in the country.
Mr. Icasiano went on to say that Mr. Ancajas’ overpowering performance against Mr. Gonzalez, who the Filipino knocked down three times during the fight, was a testimony to what he is as a fighter.
“In his title defense against Gonzalez, his methodical approach paid dividends in dismantling his challenger, consistently jabbing to stop the Mexican on his tracks and firing a series of damaging lefts straight and hooks that had Gonzalez bleeding in the nose,” he said.
“Gonzalez courageously proved that he wouldn’t easily bend against the Filipino champion. But the left hand wrote the final sentence. He is methodical in approach, but how he marinates his opponents with his surgical style adds a touch of excitement. Simply put, he is a cerebral assassin,” Mr. Icasiano added.
The analyst, however, rued that Mr. Ancajas was not able to show much of his body- punching in his latest title defense, something that he is very capable of doing, as Mr. Gonzalez chose to be more cautious to engage after being dropped in the opening round.
Nonetheless, Mr. Icasiano said it hardly diminished the scintillating performance that Mr. Ancajas had.
Moving forward, the analyst said bigger things should come for Mr. Ancajas, now sporting a 29-1-1 record after the win, after a successful first foray in the US and that his handlers should play their cards correctly.
“It’s a high time for Jerwin Ancajas to take a big step by joining HBO’s second installment of “Superfly” this year, taking on the best pugilists of the division like Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Naoya Inoue. I believe he is ready to share the squared-circle with either of the two,” Mr. Icasiano said.
Personally, though, he would like to see Mr. Ancajas take on compatriot Jonas Sultan, something that is a welcome bout considering rarely does it happen.
“I would also like to see Jerwin Ancajas face Jonas Sultan, who is IBF’s mandatory no. 1 contender. If an Ancajas- Sultan title bout pushes through, it will be the first time in nearly 93 years that two Filipinos will clash for a world boxing crown. The last all- Filipino title boxing match was in May 1925 when Pancho Villa beat Clever Sencio to retain his world flyweight championship in Manila,” he said.