IBF junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas of the Philippines will defend his belt against Japanese challenger Ryuichi Funai on the Artur Beterbiev vs Radivoje Kalajdzic undercard at the Stockton Arena in California on May 4 live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
Ancajas, 27, is a southpaw from Davao del Norte, Philippines and is currently promoted by Top Rank and managed by Filipino ring legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.
He won the title in an upset victory over Puerto Rican McJoe Arroyo in 2016, and has defended the title several times. His last fight against Mexican Alejandro Santiago ended in a Draw with many ringside observers thinking the underdog Mexican challenger did enough to win the title against the Pretty boy Filipino champion.
Ancajas vows to make up for his lackluster fights against Santiago and Jonas Sultan when he fights 33-year-old Japanese number one contender Ryuichi Funai.
Funai is 31-7, with 22 KOs will be making his American debut and believes his height advantage and power could be enough to knockout and stop the champion. He said he will do all it takes and give his all in the ring on Saturday night.
This could be a real tough outing for the Filipino champion Ancajas after two boring fights where he looked very tentative and gun-shy, he will need to put his punches together to keep the durable Japanese slugger off him.
For this fight Ancajas claims he switched it up and wasn’t satisfied with his previous fights. He promises he will bring more aggression in the ring and try to deliver a more exciting fight to the fans.
But along with being more aggressive and trying to entertain could also leave him open for being knocked out so Ancajas will have to be smart and avoid any hard counters by Funai.
Jerwin Ancajas vs Ryuichi Funai takes place on May 4, 2019 at 10/7 PM ET/PT Live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
