Jerwin Ancajas is on the cusp of matching a revered record set by a fabled Filipino fighter of yesteryears.
Though a date for his next fight is still being arranged, Ancajas has been guaranteed of making the 10th defense of his International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-flyweight crown sometime in late-November by the influential dealmaker Sean Gibbons of MP Promotions.
To prepare for that momentous event, Ancajas left Manila late Friday night and was met at LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal 12 hours later accompanied by lead trainer Joven Jimenez.
Last time out, he weathered a furious rally by the gutsy Mexican Jonathan Rodriguez en route to a points win in April at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
If Ancajas emerges victorious in his tenth defense of the IBF 115-lb crown, he will match the feat of the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, who, from 1960 to 1967, made ten defenses of the world junior-lightweight title.
Elorde, also a southpaw, almost exclusively fought on home soil when he risked the 130-lb championship.
Since winning the IBF championship in September 2016, Ancajas, 29, traveled the world, flying to Macau, Northern Ireland, Australia, Mexico and to the United States five times.
Ancajas, who has a 33-1-2 record with 22 knockouts, is one of the world’s longest-reigning titleholders.
After beating Puerto Rican McJoe Arroyo for the title, he met Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (Mexico), Teiru Konoshita (Japan), Michael Conlan (United Kingdom), Israel Gonzalez (Mexico), Jonas Sultan (Philippines), Alejandro Santiago (Mexico), Ryuichi Funai (Japan), Miguel Gonzalez (Chile) and Rodriguez.
Ancajas fights under the Manny Pacquiao-owned MP Promotions that is being run by Gibbons, who also represents a bevy of top-caliber Filipino talents.
