Jerwin Ancajas battered Jamie Conlan with body shots, then finished off the Irish with a head punch to retain his International Boxing Federation super flyweight crown at SSE Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saturday night (Sunday in Manila).
The Filipino southpaw proved too skillful and powerful for the challenger, scoring knockdowns in the first, third and fourth rounds before forcing stoppage with a right cross and another knockdown in the sixth round.
Though Conlan was able to beat the count again, referee Steve Gray waved off the lopsided fight with 52 seconds left to save him from further punishment.
With his third successful title defense, the 25-year-old Ancajas raised his record to 28-win, 1-loss, 1-draw with 19 knockouts, further enhancing his reputation as a wily, explosive fighter.
The 31-year-old Conlan suffered his first loss after 19 wins and 11 knockouts.
Delayed reaction
Ancajas, who hails from Panabo, Davao del Norte, but now resides in Kawit, Cavite, hinted of things to come when he brought Conlan to his knees on a delayed reaction after a body shot two minutes into the fight.
Conlan’s predicament grew when he sustained a cut above the left eye following a collision of heads in the second round.
It was another Ancajas show in the third, when he rocked Conlan with a solid hook followed by more body shots that put him down anew.
Just when the bell sounded, Conlan was seen gasping for air, an effect of an accumulation of body blows.
The fourth round was no different as Ancajas caught the Belfast native with a flurry of body blows against the ropes.
His concentration to the midsection cost Ancajas a point in the fifth round after being warned and slapped with a low blow violation by Gray.
Ordered by trainer-manager Joven Jimenez to shift his attack to the head, Ancajas responded with that fight-ending shot.
Ancajas received a career-high $80,000 (about P4 million) for agreeing to dangle the title he took from McJoe Arroyo in 2016 on hostile territory.
Unification fight
Next up for Ancajas, according to reports, is a unification championship bout in the 115-pound division with Japanese Naoya Inoue, the World Boxing Organization titlist, as leading candidate. Fighting under the banner of Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions, Ancajas is likely to bring his act to the US. —ROY LUARCA