ONE fighter is seeking to emerge from the shadows of his illustrious sibling and gain recognition on his own while the other is keen on becoming a world champion anew–in a heavier weight division.
These will be the prime motivations of Japanese World Boxing Council bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue and Filipino challenger Jerwin Ancajas when they slug it out tomorrow at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
A longtime former International Boxing Federation junior bantamweight champion, Ancajas, 32, is banking on his experience and punching power in his bid to wrest the 118-pound belt from Inoue, who will be making his first title defense.
Oddsmakers have made the Filipino southpaw a 1-2 underdog against the younger sibling of undisputed and undefeated world super bantamweight king Naoya “Monster” Inoue in a fight that was supposed to be held last November but was postponed when the Japanese champ injured his rib.
The pride of Panabo, Davao del Norte is unfazed, however, saying at the pre-match press conference yesterday in the Japanese capital that “the fact that there is currently no world champion in the Philippines makes me hungry. With this feeling, I want to win. I vow to bring the belt home.”
The Pinoy “Pretty Boy” has a reputation of being a knockout artist, having carved out a record of 34 wins, 23 by knockout, against three losses and two draws.
Given the stakes involved in the high-profile fight, Inoue said he won’t take his formidable Filipino foe lightly.
“I believe my opponent is the strongest opponent ever, so I want to brace myself and fight until the end to win,” said Inoue through an interpreter.
“In order to win, my boxing must be perfect. I think in the end it will be a battle of emotions, so I want to put those emotions to the forefront to win,” added the hometown favorite, who has a record of 18 wins, four by knockout, and one loss. He is riding a five-match winning streak since losing to then-French WBC bantamweight champion Nourdine Oubaali by unanimous decision in November 2019 at the Saitama, Arena just on the outskirts north of Tokyo.
Chief Japanese promoter Hideyuki Ohashi expressed confidence that Inoue has what it takes to retain his belt.
“I am 100 percent confident. Takuma has better speed and stamina. However, he (Ancajas) is definitely a strong opponent so if our boy wins, we’ll see a new Takuma Inoue,” said Ohashi also through an interpreter.
The two protagonists will have their official weigh-in today while the title match will be the headliner of the Prime Video Presents Live Boxing 7 card and is scheduled at around 9 p.m. (8 p.m. in Manila) tomorrow.
