Another Filipino shoots for world title

Late Tuesday night, Jerwin Ancajas received his trophy as one of the Philippine Sportswriters Association’s Athletes of the Year. On Thursday, another boxer hopes to achieve that same success.

Ernesto Saulong, who is trained by Ancajas’ mentor, guns for the International Boxing Federation junior featherweight title of Japanese Ryosuke Iwasa in Tokyo.

Tagged a huge underdog against Iwasa, Saulong trained at Survival Camp in Cavite under rising mentor Joven Jimenez and sparred with IBF junior bantamweight king Ancajas.

“He (Saulong) is in peak form, has trained hard, and is determined to succeed just like Ancajas, said Jimenez.

Saulong breezed through the weigh-in Wednesday, coming in at 121.5. Isawa tipped the scales at 121.75 lb. —ROY LUARCA