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Jerwin Ancajas: The making of a world champion

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Dennis Gasgonia, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1452086" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><address style="text-align:center">Video by Fernando G. Sepe Jr., ABS-CBN News</address>It&#x27;s 8:30 a.m. Like everyone else, Jerwin Ancajas is up early, ready to get some work done. Commuters hate perspiring this time of the day. Inside a training room, Ancajas lets the sweat drip off his body. Being drenched doesn’t stop him progressing from one task to another. He is locked in. Ancajas calmly climbs the ring in the middle of the Elorde Boxing Gym in the bustling city of Imus. Hands taped, he zeroes in on his first task this morning — shadow-boxing. He conjures up an adversary as he begins stabbing the air with his fists. He will go through 20 hard rounds and this is just Phase 1.“Hindi po madaling mag-ensayo, lalo na magkuha ng timbang. Iyon ang pinakamahirap. Ang paglaban nandyan lang, lalaban at lalaban ka. Pero iyong ensayo, hindi ka naman mananalo kung hindi ka mag-ensayo ng mabuti,” Ancajas says. “Tapos sakripisyo kung kailangan malayo sa pamilya mo, lalo na kung hard na ang training. Wala na dapat distraction.”(Preparing for a fight can be hard, especially making weight. That’s the hardest. Come fight time, you go out there and battle, but it all begins with how well you train. A win or a loss depends on the effort you put in during training. If you need to be away from your family and when the training starts to become more difficult, then make that sacrifice if you must. There’s no place for distractions.)Ancajas goes about his business in virtual obscurity. During this time, nobody bothers him for a selfie, an autograph or even small talk. Ancajas and his crew appreciate the lack of attention, a rare convenience for somebody of his stature, a world boxing champion.“Tinatago namin talaga si Jerwin. Ayaw talaga namin iyong may nakakagulo,” says Joven Jimenez, Ancajas’ trainer and manager. (We’re keeping him out of the public eye. We don’t want to be bothered.) Jimenez says insulating Ancajas from the crowd prevents the boxer from catching a virus that could make him ill and derail their big-picture plans<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/06/27/ancajas-1.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Jerwin Ancajas shadow-boxes in preparation for his defense of the world junior-bantamweight title against Teiru Kinoshita of Japan in Brisbane on July 2. <cite>Fernando G. Sepe Jr., ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div>In a few days’ time, when Ancajas steps on a massive stage the likes of which he has never seen, that’s when his life could start to change, his effort to blend in with the crowd eventually rendered useless.The world junior bantamweight title-holder will defend his belt against Teiru Kinoshita of Japan in Brisbane on July 2, the biggest fight in his professional career that began in 2009.Nine months ago when Ancajas defeated McJoe Arroyo of Puerto Rico to ascend the throne in the 115-pound ranks, he did so at the Philippine Navy Gym in Taguig, a multipurpose recreational facility. Admission to the gym was free. In Brisbane, Ancajas will fight at Suncorp Stadium, a rugby and football pitch that can seat 55,000 people. That bout will be aired globally. Jimenez and Ancajas may not acknowledge it, but their days of low-key existence could be numbered.From his birthplace in Davao to his second home in Imus and championship fights from Taguig to Macau, Ancajas doesn’t hesitate going places to go places. Throughout all the travels and his climb up the ladder, he keeps his head straight, his objective simple. Between Cavite and Queensland, he makes it just about winning, nothing else. In his mind, wala na dapat distraction.“Talagang nagdaan kami sa proseso. Talagang dinahan-dahan namin,” Jimenez says. “Tapos natupad talaga ang pangarap namin na mag-champion. Iyong ibang manager 20, 30 years na naghawak ng mga boksingero, walang champion. Sinuwerte naman kami.”(We went through the process. We took our time, then our dreams of becoming a champion came true. Other managers have been handling boxers for 20, 30 years, but they&#x27;ve never handled a champion. We were fortunate.)-o0o-<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/06/27/ancajas-2.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Ancajas hits the heavy bag. His enthusiasm for the sport and his natural fighting skills manifested themselves in the youth ranks, where he raked in gold medals in the national games. <cite>Fernando G. Sepe Jr., ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div>After four rounds shadow-boxing and finding a comfortable rhythm on his feet and punches, Ancajas straps on his gloves for the heavy bag. The strikes are forceful and slow at first. Not long after, he picks up the pace. The sound of leather mitts rapidly hitting a stuffed leather sack at maximum impact is music to Ancajas&#x27; ears. It is, too, for his trainer. “Sa ngayon, ang purpose namin sa heavy bag ay speed and endurance,” Jimenez says. “Kaya pinapasuntok namin siya ng marami, pinapagod namin siya ng husto, halos walang pahinga. (We want him to punch as many times because we want to tire him out, almost no rest.)”Jimenez took Ancajas under his wing when an amateur coach begged Jimenez to take a 17-year-old unproven prospect. Jimenez waffled over whether a scrawny teenage boy who didn&#x27;t fit his preferred qualifications would be worth investing on. “Wala siya sa radar ko, kasi ang tinitingnan ko iyong mga boxers sa national team. Hindi siya nakarating doon,” Jimenez explains. “Tapos may ka-meeting akong promoter din sa probinsya na nagsabi sa akin na si Jerwin daw magaling at sigurado silang magwo-world champion iyong bata.“Sabi ko, ‘Ha? Binibigay sa akin iyon tapos hindi ko pinapansin.’ So tinawagan ko agad iyong coach.”(He wasn&#x27;t on my radar because I was looking for boxers who were on the national team and he didn&#x27;t make it. Then I met with a promoter in the province who told me Jerwin was good and he was sure he&#x27;d be a world champion. I said, &#x27;Somebody was pleading to me that I take the boy in. So I called Jerwin&#x27;s coach immediately.)Ancajas is the youngest of 3 children born and raised in Panabo, a city that takes pride in being the country’s banana capital. The Ancajases survived on their father Caesar’s meager earnings at a banana plantation. Ancajas was drawn to boxing because of his older brother, Jesar. Jerwin got his first taste of the pug life when he was in Grade 2. He was 9. “Noong una po, iyong mama ko ayaw ako palabanin. Iyong papa ko, dahil maganda rin po iyong programa sa amateur kasi hindi ka makakapag-boxing kung walang pag-aaral, kaya pumayag na ang papa ko,” Ancajas recalls.(At first, my mother didn’t want me to get into boxing. My father, because the amateur program required us to study before boxing, eventually gave me permission to pursue boxing.)His enthusiasm for the sport and his natural fighting skills manifested themselves in the youth ranks, where he raked in gold medals in the national games. He would have been a solid addition to the national team, but he forewent that to turn pro. His first fight out of the amateurs happened on July 27, 2009, his 17th birthday. According to <a href="http://boxrec.com/boxer/506289">BoxRec.com</a>, Ancajas won via 1st-round technical knockout. As a 14-year-old, Ancajas watched Manny Pacquiao destroy Erik Morales in 2006, a sight that left a mark on the teenager. “Talagang iyong mga laban ni sir Manny po, iyong laban kay Morales, iyon ang gusto kong sundan (The way he fought Morales was the way I wanted to pattern my fighting style),” Ancajas says. Recent results bear out Ancajas’ desire to pattern his style after Pacquiao, with 10 of his last 12 fights resulting in stoppage wins. Michael Koncz was approached by Jimenez, who thought Pacquiao’s associate would fancy Ancajas&#x27; whirlwind ways.“Tiningnan nila ang mga previous na video ni Jerwin at nagustuhan siya ni Koncz kasi parang tipikal na katulad ni Manny na suntok ng suntok,” Jimenez says. “Masipag daw, banat ng banat. Nakita nilang special ang skills niya, kaya sabi ni Koncz, simulan na natin siyang i-promote.”(They saw Jerwin&#x27;s previous video and they liked him because he resembled Manny&#x27;s action-packed style. He was hard-working, too. They saw Jerwin&#x27;s special skills and that was enough to convince Koncz to say they wanted to start promoting Jerwin.)-o0o-<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/06/27/ancajas-3.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Ancajas and his trainer-manager, Joven Jimenez, engage in a mitts workout. Jimenez says if it weren&#x27;t for Manny Pacquiao&#x27;s generosity, Ancajas wouldn&#x27;t have come this far. <cite>Fernando G. Sepe Jr., ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div>Ancajas’ first shot at the world championship served as a crash course in paying one’s dues.Scheduling issues beleaguered Ancajas’ plans to challenge Arroyo, a fighter from Puerto Rico who was undefeated in 17 fights, for the junior bantamweight title, forcing Ancajas to wait for some seven months from the time a first date was initially set until a confirmed schedule materialized.Even as the fight moved from one date to another, the training never stopped. Realizing the opportunity might not come Ancajas’ way again, Jimenez wanted his boxer to be in the best shape possible. So he transferred training camp away from the comforts of Imus, where Jimenez and Ancajas’ families reside, and pitched it in Tanay, Rizal, upon a friend’s suggestion. The location fit Jimenez’s need to isolate Ancajas, married and a father of 2, and sharpen his focus, but what Jimenez didn’t expect was the bare-bones conditions at the new site.“Akala namin maganda iyong lugar doon,” Jimenez recalls, “pero wala na kaming choice, tinuloy-tuloy na namin.” (We thought the place would be nice. We didn’t have a choice, so we pushed through training.)“Wala kaming gym (sa Tanay),” Jimenez adds. “Umuulan. Nagsabit lang kami ng punching bag sa isang puno. Malayo kami sa mga kapitbahay. Sa bundok kami ng Tanay, Rizal. Wala kaming TV, wala. Pero talagang pursigido siya na may marating, kahit gaano man kahirap.”(We didn’t have a gym in Tanay. It rained. We hung a punching bag up a tree. We weren’t near anybody’s house. We trained in the mountains. We didn’t even have TV, but he was determined to go places no matter how hard the road is.)The spartan camp lasted some 6 months, from February to August 2016.As agreed upon by the boxers’ handlers, the split of the $25,000 purse favored Arroyo, 85% to 15%, as the champion. Based on the percentage, Ancajas took home $3,750. He didn’t mind the scant pay, in the same way that he didn’t mind the long wait up to his first world-title fight or the makeshift training camp that compelled him to miss TV or hit a bag dangling precariously from a tree. For Ancajas, the end game is clear — to wrap a championship belt around his waist; nothing can distract him from achieving it.So, on September 3, 2016, at Philippine Navy Gym, Ancajas entered an elite list of Filipino world boxing champions by defeating Arroyo in a lopsided unanimous decision, a performance that drew praise from the sport’s TV commentators.“I think Ancajas is one of the most talented champions we have right now,” fight analyst Ed Tolentino said. “Brick-by-brick Ancajas is a tactician, a southpaw who owns a bag of tricks which he displayed in outfinessing Arroyo.”“Iyong performance niya kay McJoe Arroyo was his best,” commentator Dennis Principe said. “If he continues to fight like that, maraming mahihirapan sa kanya (he&#x27;ll give a lot of fighters headaches. Kasi may opensa, may depensa, although more on depensa because of his footwork.”Ancajas didn’t have to wait long for his 1st title defense. On January 29, he retained the belt by beating Jose Alfredo Rodriguez of Mexico at the Venetian in Macau. The bout was halted when Rodriguez sustained a shoulder injury.Impressed further by Ancajas’ two victories, MP Promotions put his name in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Jeff Horn fight in Brisbane. Ancajas says he never imagined that the man he wanted to pattern his fighting style after, the man held with high regard in his sport, would play a significant role in his journey to a world title. On July 2, Ancajas gets another lift from his boyhood idol, as he pursues another career milestone — his debut in a grander, more massive international stage.For the Kinoshita fight, Ancajas is guaranteed a prize money worth $67,000, significantly up from the $40,000 he took home for the Rodriguez bout (which Ancajas used to buy a house and lot for his father in Panabo) and a far cry from his earnings in the Arroyo fight.In Jimenez’s mind, his decision to gamble on a scrawny 17-year-old has paid dividends.“Nagtiwala naman si sir Manny sa amin, kaya binigyan kami ng pagkakataon na ma-promote dito sa Pilipinas,” Jimenez says. “Kasi kung wala kaming promoter na tulad ni sir Manny, hindi rin siya (Ancajas) magkakaroon ng laban kasi kailangang gumastos. Iyong gastos niya (Pacquiao) kay Arroyo, wala namang balik iyon.”(If it weren&#x27;t for Manny, Jerwin wouldn&#x27;t have had an opportunity to fight because to fight, you need to have money. The money he spent for the Arroyo fight, he didn&#x27;t get that back.)-o0o-<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/06/27/ancajas-4.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Ancajas takes a break from training at Elorde Gym in Imus, Cavite. Jimenez says one characteristic of Ancajas that stands out is his work ethic. &quot;With Jerwin&#x27;s skills, if he takes care of himself during training, with no distractions and no issues, he&#x27;ll go far in this business,&quot; Jimenez saysr. <cite>Fernando G. Sepe Jr., ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div>Done with the heavy bags, Ancajas steps off the ring to rest. A minute is all he is given before he and Jimenez engage in a mitts workout to sharpen Ancajas’ reflexes and his reaction. The routine runs for four rounds. In between, Jimenez points out wrinkles in Ancajas’ form, in the way he positions his body and his feet, in the timing of his punches. Jimenez wants Ancajas to understand these tweaks, internalize them. Jimenez emphasizes speed and stamina, and the importance of attacking at close range, a strategy that is the bread and butter of his boss, Pacquiao, a fellow southpaw. “Sa skills ni Jerwin, kung aalagaan niya ang sarili sa training, walang distractions at walang problema malayo ang patutunguhan niya,” Jimenez says. “Kasi ang galing niya sa iba sa mga kasamahan niya.”(With Jerwin&#x27;s skills, if he takes care of himself during training, with no distractions and no issues, he&#x27;ll go far in this business. He&#x27;s a cut above the rest of the local boxers.)Ancajas and Jimenez look at Brisbane as a springboard to penetrate the mecca of prizefighting — the more lucrative US market. American fight fans can get a preview of Ancajas on July 2 (July 1, US Eastern time), because ESPN in the States is airing the world-title bout on free TV.Coupled with the tens of thousands of fans expected to flock to the Suncorp Stadium, Ancajas will be watched closely, his moves dissected by a multitude of fight enthusiasts. Any plan past the Konishita bout hinges on Ancajas winning, of course, some say spectacularly. If things fall into place, Ancajas will cease to become one of boxing’s best-kept secrets. Should that happen, his days of low-key existence will be over.“Kaya tinitignan siya ngayon kung pupwede ba siyang lumaban doon (US) at kung ano ang meron kay Jerwin (We&#x27;ll know now whether Jerwin has what it takes to fight in the US),” Jimenez says.From the farmlands of Davao to the mountains of Tanay, from the bright lights of Macau to the picturesque hills of Brisbane, Ancajas will have covered tens of thousands of kilometers to get to this point in his career — a world title-holder with a bright future.“Kung ano plano sa akin ng Panginoon, kung anong ibigay Niya, tatanggapin ko,” he says. “Nabigyan Niya ako ng world championship. Kung ano pang ibigay sa akin, bonus na po sa akin iyon.”(I&#x27;ll take whatever God&#x27;s plan is. I&#x27;ve been blessed with a world championship. Whatever&#x27;s next for me, it&#x27;ll be a bonus.) — With additional research by Dominic Menor, ABS-CBN News(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a>)

The Davao del Norte fighter's career has been a lifelong course in paying one's dues.

The Davao del Norte fighter's career has been a lifelong course in paying one's dues.

Jerwin Ancajas: The making of a world champion

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Jerwin Ancajas: The making of a world champion

Dennis Gasgonia,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 27, 2017 08:10 PM PHT

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Jerwin Ancajas

Battle of Brisbane

Manny Pacquiao

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