By Nick Giongco
A photo taken about 15 years ago that was posted online yesterday, featuring world champion Jerwin Ancajas and childhood friend Mark Anthony Barriga, seemed to have foretold the future that awaited them.
Ancajas and Barriga (seen here as marked) posed with teammates of the Panabo boxing squad when they were nine or ten years old,
According to Joven Jimenez, who serves as their trainer-manager, only Ancajas, the current IBF super-fly king and Barriga, the 2012 London Olympian who is vying for the IBF minimumweight title on Dec. 1 in Los Angeles, blossomed into world-caliber boxers.
“This picture predicted their future,” said Jimenez, who had goosebumps all over when it was shown to him.
Barriga’s upcoming title try was arranged by US agent Sean Gibbons, who also acts as Ancajas’ pointman in America and elsewhere.
Ancajas has been the IBF 115-lb champion since Sept. 2016, having defended against Mexicans Jose Alfredo Rodriguez, Israel Gonzalez and Alejandro Santiago, Japanese Teiru Kinoshita, Jamie Conlan of Northern Ireland and Filipino Jonas Sultan.
