By REYNALD MAGALLON
Jerwin Ancajas finally gets to resume his pursuit to become a world champion again when he takes on Uruguay’s Ruben Casero in a fight seen as a stepping stone for his aspirations to contend for a belt in the super bantamweight division.
The fight was supposedly part of the Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios undercard before it got bumped off the schedule.
But Ancajas, who trained alongside Pacquiao, as well as Mark Magsayo and Eumir Marcial who also saw action and won in the same fight card last weekend, has no issues whatsoever.
“I am glad that finally I have a fight. I thought I would be fighting at the MGM Grand at the fight card’s main event, but God has a greater purpose,” Ancajas said of the fight that is scheduled for eight rounds at the Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California on Sunday, July 27 (Manila time).
A former International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight titlist, Ancajas is holding on to the experience advantage with his 36-4-2 record with 24 knockouts against Casero which only sports 13-4 record with 5 KOs.
MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons sees the bout as a gauge as to how prepared Ancajas is in taking on the big guns of the 122lbs division.
“Jerwin will be fighting for his third super bantamweight bout. This is another steppingstone for him to fight for a world title,” Gibbons said.
“One of the final steps for Jerwin being able to move into another world title opportunity and it is first in the 122 pounds, but he must win this fight. It is a very crucial fight,” he added.
