Jerwin Ancajas insists he remains driven and motivated ahead of his shot at the World Boxing Association bantamweight crown of Takuma Inoue this Saturday at the Ryogokju Kokugikan Sumo Arena in Tokyo.
“The hunger remains the same,” Ancajas told Filipino scribes over dinner Saturday just before heading to Japan.
Even at 32, Ancajas swears he remains tickled pink by the prospects of winning.
“I haven’t changed. I love winning. Every time I prepare for a fight, I have just one focus. And that is to win the fight. I fight to win all the time,” said the former International Boxing Federation super-flyweight king.
Against Inoue, Ancajas is aiming for a second world title in as many weight classes.
After experiencing difficulties towards the tail-end of his close to six-year reign as IBF 115-lb titleholder, Ancajas finally decided to move up in weight especially after Argentine Fernando Martinez dethroned him and beat him in a rematch.
The new weight class seems to be perfect for him as shown by the excitement being felt by his team composed of lead trainer Joven Jimenez and promoter Sean Gibbons, who were both in attendance during the sendoff dinner at the Ascott Hotel.
While Inoue is the betting favorite, Ancajas holds a huge edge in experience alone.
When he was champion, Ancajas made nine defenses of the title, traveling all over the world and beating almost every challenger who dared to take the belt away.
Meanwhile, Ancajas arrived at Haneda Airport on Sunday afternoon and was warmly welcomed as Japanese mediamen were there to greet him and interview the Filipino southpaw.
On Tuesday, Ancajas will conduct an open workout on Tuesday at the Teiken Boxing Gym in the Shinjuku area.
Then a press conference is set for Thursday at the Tokyo Dome and the official weighin follows Friday also at the same venue.
If victorious against Inoue this weekend, Ancajas will become the only reigning world champion of the Philippines.
