Ancajas steals limelight from main bout

Jerwin Ancajas confidently mounts the weighing scale as MP promotions’ Joe Ramos, left, and Sean Gibbons look on. Roy Luarca/INQUIRER

Corpus Christi, Texas—The Jerwin Ancajas-Israel Gonzales title duel was supposed to be the co-feature of the World Boxing Organization middleweight crown showdown between Mexican Gilberto Ramirez and Ghanaian challenger Habib Ahmed.

Owing to the Ancajas’ hype as the next Manny Pacquiao, however, the International Boxing Federation junior bantamweight title fight has gained more attention in this coastal city, the eighth largest in this massive state next only to Alaska in size.

Even the local newspaper, Caller Times, has given Ancajas prominence over Gonzalez and Ramirez, who totes a fearsome record of 36-0 with 24 knockouts.

Ahmed is also unbeaten (22-0-1, 17 knockouts) and, just like Ancajas and Gonzalez, is strutting his stuff in the US for the first time.

The third man in the ring for Ancajas-Gonzalez will be Puerto Rican Rafael Ramos with Joel Elizondo (San Antonio), Fernando Villareal (Oakhill, California) and Lisa Giampa (Las Vegas) as judges.

The eight-bout fight card is a joint undertaking of ESPN, ESPN Deportes and Top Rank of Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s longtime promoter.