Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, who’s been in boxing for over half a century, knows genuine talent when he sees one.
One quick look at reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-flyweight king Jerwin Ancajas got Arum into thinking and believing that the Filipino southpaw could be boxing’s next big star.
“I see a lot of similarities to his co-promoter Manny Pacquiao,” said Arum from the US, praising Ancajas’ “killer instinct” and his being “a great finisher.”
Ancajas is managed by the mild-mannered Joven Jimenez but he fights under Pacquiao’s MP Promotions, who has close ties with Arum’s Top Rank Inc.
So impress was Arum with Ancajas that the 86-year-old Brooklyn native didn’t hesitate to ink the fighter to a juicy three-fight deal for 2018.
If Ancajas makes waves next year, a mouth-watering contract awaits him in 2019, said Arum, who is staging Ancajas’ US debut on Feb. 3 against Mexican Israel Gonzalez in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Even before Arum formally announced Ancajas first fight on American soil, the fighter was already reporting for training in Magallanes, Cavite.
“Sobrang excited ako kasi ito ang pangarap ko…ang makalaban sa Amerika,” said Ancajas, who has a 26-1-1 win-loss-draw card with 19 KOs.