Ancajas ready for super flyweight war against Funai
By Kevin Sox
Filipino IBF super flyweight world champion Jerwin Ancajas has successfully made weight for his title defense against Japanese challenger Ryuichi Funai which shall commence on Saturday night at the Stockton Arena in California, and Ancajas is ready for the upcoming battle.
Ancajas (30-1-2, 20 KOs) will defend his title for the seventh time after winning it three years ago over Puerto Rican McJoe Arroyo.
He tipped the scales at a ready 114.2 pounds while his counterpart weighed in at 114.4.
Funai is no pushover, having knocked out 22 of his opponents in his 31 wins, although he has suffered seven defeats already.
Odds have Ancajas as a 7-to-1 favorite over Funai, which means a 750 US dollar bet on the Filipino will only win 100.
“Come fight night, we hope all our sacrifices pay off. This fight is not only about me but also about the entire team which has sacrificed a lot for us to be here,” told Ancajas to Mike Murillo of Business World two weeks ago.
As for the upcoming title defense, he 27-year-old fighter expects nothing but the best from Funai.
“We are expecting him to attack. He is hungry for a world championship and he will take the fight to us. But we will be ready,” said Ancajas to Business World.
Ancajas’ fight is part of a Top Rank-promoted fight card headlined by Artur Betebiev of Canada defending his IBF light heavyweight title against Russian Radivoje Kaladzic.
Per reports, the Stockton Arena has already been sold out for fight night, as Ancajas expects a bigger crowd in his third fight in United States soil.