Asian Games gold medalist Roberto Jalnaiz will assume a double role when he joins Jerwin Ancajas’ training team in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Jalnaiz, a two-time Olympian, will fill the vacuum left by former world champion Rodel Mayol, who will be unable to join Team Ancajas this time as some of his fighters have scheduled bouts coinciding with Ancajas’ defense of the International Boxing Federation super flyweight crown against countryman Jonas Sultan in Fresno, Calif., on May 26.
Jalnaiz, bantamweight champion in the 1992 Beijing Asiad, assisted lead trainer Joven Jimenez during the final week of Ancajas’ preparation against Mexican Israel Gonzales on February 3 in Corpus Christi, Texas, and also provided valuable weight reduction inputs.
Mayol, on the other hand, took care of the champion’s nutritional requirements and other needs.
With Ancajas’ successful fourth title defense, Jimenez decided to keep the Texas team, which also includes unbeaten prospect Mark Anthony Barriga, MP Promotions official Joe Ramos and matchmajer Sean Gibbons, intact as much as possible.
That’s why Jimenez and Ancajas have held most of their training at Survival Camp in Magallanes town, Cavite, and leave for the United States on May 15. Sultan’s group, on the other hand, opted to train at Wild Card Gym in Hollywood two weeks earlier.
Filipino-Australian Todd Makelim, also a former boxer, has also been retained as cutman.
Ancajas left a strong impression on Jalnaiz, a regular in Manny Pacquiao’s training camps in the US, after the Texas sojourn.
Jalnaiz noted Ancajas’ good footwork and fighting stance as well as his fast hands, which he attributed to Ancajas’ illustrious amateur career, highlighted by titles in both the Palarong Pambansa and the National Youth Games.
