Finally, a US trip for Ancajas
Jerwin Ancajas finally got to fly to the United States on Wednesday even though his promoter said he has already lost his fight date with his Mexican mandatory challenger.
The IBF super flyweight champ was in high spirits before his flight bound for Los Angeles, where he is set to continue training before putting his crown at stake possibly by November.
“We just have to adjust, we are used to it,” Ancajas (32-1-2 with 22 knockouts) said when asked about the disruptions of his training program.
His manager and trainer Joven Jimenez said his ward won’t have any problems getting in fight shape even though his training trajectory has gone up and down the past several months.
“When he starts to reach his peak, we make adjustments to his program so we can start all over again,” Jimenez said in Filipino.
Eumir Felix Marcial joined Team Ancajas in the flight as he is set to train at Wild Card Gym under Hall-of-Famer Freddie Roach.
Roach will hone Marcial as the boxer embarks on a two-destination journey. Ancajas is set to make his debut as a professional while also preparing to end the country’s gold medal hunt in the Olympics, which takes place next year in Tokyo.Ancajas was supposed to fight Jonathan Rodriguez last September as part of the MGM Grand-Top Rank bubble but the delay in the release of his US visa caused by the coronavirus pandemic kept him from making the date.
The Rodriguez fight had been postponed twice already before that due to different reasons.
But the long delays proved to be a happenstance for the Panabo City native who got enough corporate support led by Big Boss Cement, which threw him a sendoff presser.
MP Promotions chief Sean Gibbons said Ancajas may still defend his title against Rodriguez, an undefeated hard puncher who totes a 21-1-0 card spiked with 15 KOs.
“The biggest key is getting to the US and then we sort it out from there,” said Gibbons, who is based in Las Vegas.
