Jerwin Ancajas hopes to land a big fight, possibly a unification with WBO champion Kazuto Ioka, within the year
For Jerwin Ancajas, his unanimous decision win over Jonathan Rodriguez was an eye-opener.
Though satisfied with what he did to retain the International Boxing Federation super flyweight crown on Saturday, April 10 (Sunday, April 11, Philippine time), Ancajas now feels certain aspects of his game need improvement.
“I want to get stronger and develop a lethal punch for my future fights,” Ancajas said in Filipino. “I must also work even harder.”
With his ninth title defense, Ancajas hopes to land a big fight, possibly a unification with World Boxing Organization champion Kazuto Ioka, within the year.
Ancajas said he was waiting for Rodriguez to attack from the opening bell but it didn’t happen.
Reason: Rodriguez got tagged by a left straight a few seconds into the fight and became hesitant to slug it out the rest of the way.
And Ancajas, being the more agile and technical fighter, exploited Rodriguez’s style shift to build a big lead.
By the sixth round, however, the 16 months away from the ring started to take its toll on Ancajas as his legs hurt.
Still, Ancajas managed to connect consistently, catching Rodriguez with a flurry of punches, including a solid body blow, and sending the Mexican down in the eighth round.
