IBF junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas. Jun Sepe, ABS-CBN News
Jerwin Ancajas moving to Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) is a plus for the IBF junior bantamweight king's career, according to boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino.
Tolentino said Ancajas' career wasn't going anywhere in his three years with Bob Arum's Top Rank Inc. and a move to PBC should open more opportunities for the "Pretty Boy."
"I think Jerwin is in better hands with PBC... I previously said that under Top Rank, he was going nowhere. Top Rank had no plans for him and he was forced to just go through the motion," said Tolentino.
But Ancajas camp maintained that they are still in good terms with Top Rank and that they decided to switch sides when the opportunity came up.
The analyst said Ancajas will get more exposure to American fight fans now that he's with PBC, explaining that Haymon's outfit has a wider reach in the US.
Unlike Top Rank which is mostly associated with ESPN, PBC has affiliations with Showtime, CBS, NBC, among others.
The biggest plus of all is that the move opens Ancajas to possible fights with any of the big three of the junior bantamweight division: Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
Tolentino said Ancajas should be able to outshine the three considering that he's the longest reigning champion in the 115-pound division.
"They tend to forget that Ancajas is the IBF king. Compared to the big three, Ancajas has a more solid foundation at 115 pounds. He has been champ since 2016 and has made 8 successful defenses," cited Tolentino.
"That Ancajas is not even mentioned in the 'big three' is proof of how Top Rank neglected him. He should be the top dog in the division owing to his more accomplished mark. Gonzalez, Estrada may have beaten quality opponents before, but at 115 lbs., Jerwin has the better winning ratio."
Ancajas is set to make his ring return against Jonathan Javier Rodriguez of Mexico on April 10 (April 11 Manila time) at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
FROM THE ARCHIVES