By Jerome Lagunzad
Fast-rising Filipino boxer Jerwin “The Pretty Boy” Ancajas already feels humbled enough just to be compared to Senator Manny Pacquiao, an eight-division world boxing champion who’s also serving as his chief supporter.
And he won’t mind if the comparisons will remain at its modest, convinced that the great successor to the greatest Filipino boxer of all time – and one of the finest that the world has seen – will not be around anytime soon.
“Wala nang hihigit pa kay Sir Manny. Wala na kahit sino pang boxer sa buong mundo ang hihigit kay Sir Manny at sa mga nagawa niya,” Ancajas, 26, told sportscribes with conviction on Tuesday night when he was named as one of the Philippine Sportswriters Association’s Athletes of the Year at the Maynila Hall of Manila Hotel.
Perhaps, Ancajas is trying his best to keep his feet on the ground and also doing enough to handle lofty expectations with his sustained rise to the top as the reigning IBF junior bantamweight titleholder.
Currently on a 16-match winning streak and coming off a successful US debut against Mexican challenger Israel Gonzales whom they defeated via a 10th round technical knockout for his fourth successful title defense last month, Ancajas believes that things are starting to fall according to his plan.
“Hindi ko ma-describe ‘yung 2017 ko kasi sobrang suwerte ko po sa taong ‘yun,” he said. “Kasi bilang champion boxer po, tatlong beses kang nakapag-depensa sa title mo at nagawa po namin sa team ko kaya bihira pong pagkakataon sa amin iyon.”
The country’s oldest media organization certainly took notice of Ancajas’ notable exploits, making him a hands-down choice to join bowler Krizzia Tabora and cue artist Carlo Biado as the top Pinoy athletes of the year that passed.
“Sobrang saya po kasi hindi ko po in-expect na maging Athlete of the Year. Sobrang saya ko po na mapabilang sa Athlete of the Year ng PSA,” he said, his eyes glowing.
“Pangarap ko rin po talaga na maparangalan dito sa PSA kasi napakaraming Pilipinong atleta na nag-aasam na maparangalan kaya napakasaya po. Dagdag na inspirasyon po ito sa akin. Sana magtuloy-tuloy po itong mga nasimulan ko.
Sana mabigyan pa ulit ng mga parangal.”
For now, Ancajas admitted his keeping his focus on his next two fights under the Top Rank Promotions, headed by legendary matchmaker Bob Arum who could pit him for another title defense in April as the earliest.
But even if he piles up one emphatic victory after another, Ancajas believes Pacquiao is one tough act to follow, saying: “Nagpapasalamat ako na mahambing kay Sir Manny. Pero kung mayroon man (na papalit sa kanya), hindi pa pinapanganak.”
Only time, as they say, can tell.