Ancajas targets ‘Inoue,’ WBA crown

After a successful debut in the super bantamweight division that saw him score a fifth round knockout of Colombian Wilner Soto, World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue could be the next target for former junior bantamweight Filipino champion Jerwin Ancajas.

Even before Ancajas' bout against Soto, a potential fight against Inoue, brother of former WBA, World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation(IBF) bantamweight titlist Naoya, is already being worked out. Naoya has relinquished his titles to move up to the super bantamweight class.

Jerwin Ancajas (left) AFP FILE PHOTO

With Ancajas' stoppage of Soto, talks of the potential fight have gotten stronger and Ancajas' camp is just waiting for the fight contract, according to multiple reports.

That is the reason why Ancajas, 31, opted to stay in Las Vegas to stay in shape for a potential fight against Inoue in October.

Inoue, 27, won the WBA belt after defeating Venezuelan Liborio Solis by unanimous decision in Tokyo, Japan last April. He will be making his first title defense against Ancajas or whoever he's going to face.

Inoue has a career win-loss-draw record of 18-1-0, having won five straight bouts. His last defeat came at the hands of French Nordine Oubali in November 2019.

On the other hand, Ancajas sports a 34-3-2 win-loss-draw slate. The pride of Panabo, Davao del Norte has defended the junior bantamweight crown multiple times before conceding it to Argentine Fernando Martinez in February last year. He also lost in the rematch eight months later.

Clinical in new weight class

Back-to-back losses to Martinez ultimately prompted Ancajas to move up to super bantamweight and safe to say, he's comfortable at the 118 to 122-pound (54 to 55kg) division. Unlike his previous bouts, Ancajas had no problem making the weight a day before his fight against Soto last Sunday, June 25, tipping the scales at 121.8.

Come the eight-rounder fight night, Ancajas maneuvered easily and made a punching bag out of Soto, peppering the latter with jabs and body blows in the early rounds.

In the fourth round, Ancajas unleashed a streaking left hook and a left-right combination to send Soto to his knees with 1:01 left.

Unable to finish off Soto in the fourth, Ancajas made sure that the Colombian wouldn't escape in the fifth as he threw more three body shots to knock him down for the second time as the referee immediately waved the bout to prevent further damage on Soto.