Jerwin Ancajas is going the extra mile — literally — in his buildup for his crack at the World Boxing Association bantamweight crown in November in Japan.
The lack of suitable sparring partners has prompted Ancajas to go elsewhere to get address his sparring needs.
“Right now we drive to DLX Gym during sparring days,” Ancajas told Daily Tribune Wednesday from his base camp in Las Vegas.
The Filipino southpaw is slated to battle defending champion Takuma Inoue, a right-hander, for the WBA 118-lb throne on 15 November in Tokyo.
If only Inoue was a lefty, Ancajas would have stayed indoors.
But the problem will soon be remedied following the arrival there of former world title challenger King Arthur Villanueva in Sin City.
“By next week, I will no longer go out for sparring because aside from Villanueva, another guys is joining my training camp,” Ancajas said.
Ancajas plans to spend the entire camp in Las Vegas and will fly direct to Japan in the first few days of November to acclimatize.
The brother of pound-for-pound star Naoya, Takuma is making the first defense of the title he had won after beating Liborio Solis last April.
Ancajas, who held the International Boxing Federation super-flyweight title for almost six years, has been training in the United States since last year under the watchful eyes of longtime strategist Joven Jimenez.
Guided and represented by the influential Sean Gibbons, Ancajas made nine defenses of the IBF 115-lb diadem before losing to Argentine Fernando Martinez.
In the rematch, Martinez beat Ancajas again on points.
Since losing to Martinez, Ancajas has fought and won once.
