IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin ‘Pretty Boy’ Ancajas 32-1-2 (22) wants to be spoken about as one of the best boxers in the world in the deep 115-pound weight class.
The 29-year-old Filipino southpaw competes in one of the sport’s most exciting weight divisions where Juan Francisco ‘El Gallo’ Estrada 42-3 (28), Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez 50-3 (41), Kazuto Ioka 26-2 (15) and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai 50-5-1 (43) all ply their trade.
Ancajas will get the chance to make people sit up and take notice when he defends his belt against Jonathan Rodriguez 22-1 (16) on the undercard of the welterweight clash between Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis 26-0 (24) and Sergey Lipinets 16-1-1 (12) at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut live on Showtime on Saturday night.
“I want people to know my name,” Ancajas said. “Everybody always talks about Estrada, Chocolatito and Rungvisai so that’s why I’m excited to have this opportunity to showcase my skills and challenge those guys.
“I’m looking to win on Saturday night and I want to fight whoever is left after the four-man tournament between Rungvisai, Chocolatito, Estrada and [Carlos] Cuadras.
“I’m always calling the name of any titleholder in my division, so I would fight Ioka too. I want a signature fight because I’m tired of people criticizing me for not fighting anybody.
“After this, that’s what I’m targeting and then once I get that fight I plan to move to 118 pounds sometime next year.
“If I had to choose one name, I would want to fight Chocolatito because I always watched him on TV and he’s my idol. Now, if I have the opportunity to fight Chocolatito I really want that fight.
“It doesn’t bother me that everybody is always talking about Chocolatito and Estrada and those guys. It’s a compliment. I know that one day it will come and I will get the opportunity to fight those guys.
“A lot of people will be watching on Saturday night so I want to make a great statement so that my name can still be in the mix with all of those guys.”
Ancajas won the IBF 115-pound strap with a points decision over McJoe Arroyo in September 2016 and has made eight successful title defences.
