By NICK GIONGCO
The Philippine Navy Special Operations Group is lending a hand to Jerwin Ancajas’ buildup for his ninth defense of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-flyweight title in the US.
A reservist in the Navy, Ancajas will join a new batch of aspirants next week at Sangley Point in Cavite City, where the IBF 115-lb king will be camping out until he leaves for America.
Ancajas is tentatively set to meet Jonathan Rodriguez of Mexico in August or September in one of the many shows Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is lining up down the road.
“Excited na ako na mapasabak sa training sa Navy,” said Ancajas from Magallanes, Cavite, where he has been based the last few months.
But unlike those enrolled in the SEALs program, you won’t be seeing Ancajas swimming across Manila Bay as one of the prerequisites for acceptance for obvious reasons.
“Hindi po ako kasama sa tubig. Sa land training lang ako isasabak,” added the soft-spoken southpaw with a hearty laugh.
Joven Jimenez, who trains and manages Ancajas and also a former mainstay of the Philippine Navy, said his boxer’s participation has been approved by Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Giovanni Bacordo, Major General Ariel Caculitan of the Naval Reserve Command and Capt. Dwight Dunloan of the GSC CNAVSOG.
Ancajas’ next defense has been approved in principle by Arum and Sean Gibbons, head of MP Promotions, provided that the fighter arrives in the US.
The strict travel ban is making it difficult for fighters to book fights.
Last time he fought, Ancajas stopped Miguel Gonzalez of Chile in Puebla, Mexico, in December last year.
