Ni: Gilbert Espena
MINALIIT ni WBO No. 3 at IBF No. 5 contender Jamie Conlan ang kakayahan ni IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas na hahamunin niya sa Nobyembre 18 sa SSE Arena, Belfast, Ireland.
Personal na napananood ni Conlan si Ancajas sa Brisbane, Australia nang mapatigil sa 7th round ng Pilipino ang mandatory contender na si Teiru Kinoshita ng Japan at sa pakiramdam niya ay pinakamahina ang Pilipino sa lahat ng super flyweight champions sa kasalukuyan.
“I got to see the first round and then the final couple of rounds from ringside and Jerwin was very impressive.
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Studying from close up, rather than on TV you get to hear the thud of a fighter’s punches. It can be daunting,” sabi ni Conlan sa Fightnews.com. “For one so small, he’s extremely powerful but he’s not just a brawler and a banger. He started out nice and relaxed, patient in his approach. Like all the top Asian fighters around the weight, he’s extremely tough.”
Gayunman, pinuri ni Conlan ang bilis at lakas ni Ancajas na mas bata sa kanya, may rekord 27-1-1 na may 18 panalo sa knockouts at natalo lamang sa kontrobersiyal na 10-round majority decision kay Filipino world-ranked fighter Mark Anthony Geraldo.
“He’s got a good grasp of distance and range and systematically breaks opponents down. Once he gets inside, he’s shown a ruthless finishing instinct. At the post-fight press conference, The Japanese kid’s face was in bits. He was mentally and physically f***ed. And Jerwin’s just 25, still to hit his prime, diin ni Conlan. “In Australia, he was training at the same time as my brother Michael who got a good look at him. Ancajas was wearing a sweat suit for every session and there was talk from his camp that he may be moving up.”
Ngunit, para kay Conlan, pinakamahina si Ancajas sa mga kampeon sa dibisyon na sina WBC champion Wisaksil Wangel ng Thailand, WBO ruler Naoya Inoue ng Japan at WBA titlist Khalid Yafai ng United Kingdom.
“He has been on my radar for a wee while now. Ancajas was a big underdog when he won the title, beating a very good champion McJoe Arroyo, a former world medallist and Beijing Olympian, over in the Philippines,” dagdag ni Ancajas sa boksingero ni eight-division world titlist Manny Pacquiao. “I’d be an underdog against any of the champions but, looking at that list, Ancajas might be the weakest of the current crop.”
“Though Jerwin’s a southpaw, he doesn’t really fight like a southpaw. He’s not a tall, awkward, elusive one. He seems easy enough to hit. He doesn’t fully capitalize on his southpaw advantage,”diin ni Conlan na may kartadang perpektong 19 panalo, 11 sa knockouts.
“While he’s used to facing the Asian style, he could probably be outboxed from the outside by a big European, like myself. That’s what I need to do, to win the fight,” dagdag ni Conlan. “His manager introduced us and, up close and personal, I was a lot bigger. If Ancajas could drag me into a war, I’d have to go really deep. He drowned Kinoshita. Remaining disciplined would be the key. I don’t have a great track record!”
