PERTH, Australia — News of another Filipino world champion brought more excitement to Filipino fight fans in Australia.
After news reports on Wednesday confirmed that Dabawenyo world titleholder Jerwin Ancajas will make the second defense of his IBF junior bantamweight title against mandatory challenger Teiru Kinoshita on the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn undercard July 2 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, more Assie-based Pinoys are buzzing over the fight.
“Gwapong away ni. Pacquiao na, Ancajas pa (This is a nice fight. There’s Pacquiao plus Ancajas),” said Dantoy Lapaz, a big boxing fan from Davao now residing in West Australia.
Matchmaker Sean Gibbons, who represents Ancajas’ promoter MP Promotions, has confirmed the Ancajas-Kinoshita fight.
Ancajas, who has an impressive ring record of 26 wins against a loss and a draw with 17 knockouts, hails from Panabo City in Davao del Norte. He annexed the IBF junior bantamweight belt with a unanimous decision over McJoe Arroyo in September last year. The Dabawenyo slugger then stopped Jose Alfredo Rodriguez after 7 rounds in January to retain the title.
Kinoshita will bring his equally impressive 25 wins (8 KOs) 1 draw 1 loss record to the fight. The Japanese fighter from Osaka, Japan is six years older at 31. His lone loss came at the hands of current WBO bantamweight titleholder Zolani Tete whom he fought for the same title in 2014.
Kinoshita held Japan’s junior bantamweight title and is rated number 3 by the IBF.
His ring record, however, showed he fought exclusively in shorter eight-rounders before making the big challenge to Tete’s belt.
