Mexican challenger Israel Gonzalez will rely on two Ds when he attempts to upset Filipino champion Jerwin Ancajas in their International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-flyweight title fight on Feb. 3 in Texas.
“Dedication and discipline,” Gonzalez’s chief trainer Condor Sanchez told boxingscene from their high-altitude training camp in Jiquipilco, a mountainous area near the Otomi, where Erik Morales trained many times.
Though the overwhelming underdog against Ancajas, who is staking the IBF 115-lb crown for the fourth time, Gonzalez he can rain on Ancajas’ parade being held at the American Bank Center in downtown Corpus Christi.
“It’s my time and I’m not going to waste it,” Gonzalez said.
Bob Arum’s Top Rank is staging the fight – Ancajas’s US debut – that will be shown on ESPN during primetime.
Arum, the Hall of Fame promoter, recently signed Ancajas to a lucrative, three-fight deal in 2018. There is also a provision that will extend the contract to another year in 2019 if he keeps on winning in line with Arum’s vision of making the 26-year-old Ancajas into a big star.
Ancajas, like Gonzalez, is likewise neck-deep in training the past few weeks in a hilly area in Magallanes, Cavite, two hours from Manila.
Team Ancajas is booked to fly to the US on Jan. 25 with Los Angeles as first stop. On Jan. 28, Top Rank is bringing them to Corpus Christi, the hometown of Farrah Fawcett and Eva Longoria.