By REYNALD MAGALLON
Jerwin Ancajas has only one mission in mind as he leaves for Japan on Sunday, Feb. 18, for his much-awaited fight against World Boxing Association bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue.
That is to reclaim the lost glory of Filipino boxers and give the country a world title belt.
Once a breeding ground for the world’s top boxers who stood atop different weight classes in the past, the country is left without a world champion.
The last Filipino to hold a world title was Marlon Tapales who incidentally surrendered his belts to Takuma’s older brother and now undisputed super bantamweight king Naoya Inoue last December.
“Ang nagbigay din talaga ng motivation sa akin lalo na sa boxing, eh wala po tayong champion ngayon,” said Ancajas in an interview with Power and Play with Kom Noli Eala a day before his flight bound to Japan.
“Ito pagsikapan ko na sana ako kauna unahang makakuha ng world title para makapagbigay ng karangalan sa ating bansa,” he added.
Ancajas and his camp are set to resume his training in Japan, exactly a week before his Feb. 24 title fight at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.
Sporting an 18-1 record with four knockouts, the 28-year-old Japanese champion is deemed to be a perfect opponent to a much experienced Ancajas who held the IBF junior bantamweight crown from 2016 to 2022 while boasting a 34-3-2 card with 23 KOs.
“Sana hindi magbago yung style ni Takuma pagdating sa laban kasi pinag aralan na rin naman yung style nya, yung galaw niya. Pero pagdating kasi sa taas ng ring di natin alam na baka nag iba na kasi pinag aaralan din tayo,” said Ancajas.
Ancajas initially spent his training in the US before the fight, first scheduled in November, was postponed after Inoue sustained a rib injury.
Team Ancajas then decided to spend the next few months of preparations in a training camp in Cavite which would allow to easily manage his weight and have less adjustment to the Japan time as compared to when he was training in the US.
“Mas madali lang magkuha ng timbang kasi yung klima natin medyo mainit. Para sa akin maganda na rin na dito kami nag training kasi di ako masyado nag adjust ng oras lalo na’t isang oras lang pagitan sa Japan. Malaking bagay na iyon sa akin,” said Ancajas.
