Armed with almost 100 rounds of sparring and the burning desire to fulfill his dreams, world champion Jerwin Ancajas flies to Los Angeles today for his much-awaited US debut on Feb. 3.
Team Ancajas, headed by chief trainer and manager Joven Jimenez, is booked to fly Philippine Airlines, ten days removed from his fourth defense of the International Boxing Federation super-flyweight crown against Israel Gonzalez of Mexico with the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, as venue of the scheduled 12-rounder.
Ancajas, 26, spent the majority of training camp in Magallanes, Cavite, where he sparred with a bevy of fighters, including super-bantam Ernesto Saulong, who vies for a world title in Tokyo on Jan. 1.
Jimenez said Ancajas is more than ready to take on Gonzalez’s challenge.
“Jerwin’s prepared to defend the crown,” said Jimenez, who is likewise upbeat about their chances of mesmerizing the US audience as the fight will be televised by ESPN.
The Texas tussle with Gonzalez will be Ancajas’ fourth straight appearance on foreign soil after defending the IBF 115-lb title in Macau, Brisbane and Belfast, all in 2017.
If victorious and impressive against the tenth-ranked Gonzalez, Top Rank chief Bob Arum will immediately arrange for Ancajas to return to the ring as early as late-April since he is under contract with the Las Vegas-based outfit that promotes many of the world’s leading fighters.
