Manila Bulletin

Ancajas primed for Sultan showdown

- By NICK GIONGCO

World champion Jerwin Ancajas doesn’t have the nerve to unfriend or block mandatory challenger Jonas Sultan on social media.

But the reigning Internatio­nal Boxing Federation super-flyweight king swears he won’t think twice in preventing him from knocking the crown off his head when they meet on May 26 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

Facebook friends the past couple of years, Ancajas (29-1 with 20 KOs) and Sultan (14-3 with nine KOs) have a history of exchanging messages whenever one has a fight on schedule.

But Ancajas, who will be making the fifth defense of the IBF 115-lb title, insists their upcoming showdown is purely business and he won’t think twice in making sure the title doesn’t change hands.

“Nothing personal,” said Ancajas during TV5’s sendoff for him at the station’s headquarte­rs in Mandaluyon­g.

The southpaw Ancajas, who leaves for Los Angeles tomorrow, sparred for over 100 rounds during his training at the Survival Camp of chief trainer Joven Jimenez in Magallanes, Cavite, and is primed for battle.

Sultan, also 26 like Ancajas, left for the US last May 4 and is training at the Wild Card in Hollywood.

US fight agent Sean Gibbons, who arranges Ancajas’ fights, is looking at giving the fighter being groomed as Manny Pacquiao successor’s two more fights before taking on the division’s big names in 2018.

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