Conlan upbeat against Ancajas

Challenger Jamie Conlan of Northern Ireland feels he has Filipino world super-flyweight king champion Jerwin Ancajas all figured out.

More than six weeks before he attempts to knock the International Boxing Federation 115-lb crown off Ancajas’ head in Belfast, Conlan has seen major flaws in Ancajas’ fighting style, which he believes will catapult him to the top when they meet at the SSE Arena on Nov. 18.

“He’s a southpaw but he doesn’t really fight like a southpaw. He’s not a tall, awkward, elusive one. He seems easy enough to hit. He doesn’t fully capitalize on his southpaw advantage,” said Conlan, who packs a 19-0-0 win-loss-draw record with 11 KOs.

Conlan has a one-inch height advantage over Ancajas.

Ancajas will be making the third defense of the crown he won last year from McJoe Arroyo of Puerto Rico and while Conlan is impressed with the champion, he is not awed by him.

“While he’s used to facing the Asian style, he could probably be out-boxed from the outside by a big European, like myself. That’s what I need to do, to win the fight,” he said.

Ancajas will be entering the ring armed with a 27-1-1 slate with 18 KOs but will be fighting on hostile ground, something his camp has taken note of.

“Dayo tayo kaya mabigat ang laban,” said Ancajas’ manager-trainer Joven Jimenez.

Although Ancajas made the first two defenses on foreign land, he didn’t actually fight a hometowner.

Last January, Ancajas stopped Jose Alfredo Rodriguez of Mexico at the Cotai Arena in Macau and only last July in Brisbane, Australia, he halted Teiru Kinoshita of Japan, also in seven.