One of the most devastating news a fighter gets while he is in the height of training is the postponement of his upcoming fight.
And that’s exactly what happened last week when news broke out that the 15 November first defense of the World Boxing Association bantamweight title by Takuma Inoue wouldn’t be proceeding as planned at the Kokugikan Sumo Arena in Tokyo.
The guy who bore the brunt of the news wasn’t just Inoue.
While Inoue was sad over the postponement, Jerwin Ancajas, who was neck-deep in training in Las Vegas, was distraught.
But Ancajas was quick to move on, saying there was nothing he could do about it.
It is what it is.
“At least it was postponed and not entirely canceled,” Ancajas told me over the phone right after his light training session.
Ancajas was so juiced up for his shot at the WBA 118-lb crown that he had been scheduled to arrive in Tokyo this weekend so he could adjust to the local conditions.
But instead of taking that trans-Pacific flight, Ancajas will have no choice but to wait.
Word is that the bout could take place in January 2024 or even in February 2024.
But then again, Ancajas doesn’t really know the extent of Inoue’s rib fracture.
If he gets unlucky, the fight might even be moved to a much later date.
Still, Ancajas is keeping his fingers crossed that Inoue will recover quickly so he can get back in training mode.
Meanwhile, Ancajas will not lower his guard.
“I would still be reporting for gym work with my trainer Joven Jimenez,” he said.
Of course, there will be no hard stuff for the meantime for Ancajas.
“What’s important is we remain in shape so once an official announcement about the new date is made, it would be easy for us to program our training,” he added.
Given the current situation, there’s not much Ancajas could do but wait.
