STOCKTON, Calif. -- Not many divisions have as many exciting action fighters as the junior bantamweight division. Boxing fans were treated to an excellent showing on April 26 when Juan Francisco Estrada beat Srisaket Sor Rungvisai by the way of unanimous decision. Now it will be IBF junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas' turn to put on a show when he takes on Ryuichi Funai on May 4 on ESPN.
Ancajas (30-1-2, 20 KOs) is an exciting fighter for a few reasons. The first is that he likes to mix things up and has pretty good power. The second is that he has enough flaws to always make things interesting. He has a fast hands and works behind a strong jab from the southpaw stance. He likes to follow that jab with a straight left hand but often falls in with that punch and leaves himself squared up and open for return fire. At times he also flashes a sneaky right hook and when he gets inside he likes to unleash combinations to the body. It's the left hand that he scores most of his knockouts with though and that will be the punch Funai has to worry about.
In his last fight Ancajas stepped in the ring with Alejandro Barrios and fought to a disappointing draw. Against Funai he will look to get back to his winning ways. Winning is something that Ancajas has gotten very used to. His only career loss came back in 2012 and since that defeat he's gone 17-0-1 with an impressive 15 knockouts. Politics of the sport aside, certainly Ancajas would love a shot at newly crowned WBC champ Estrada but before that fight, or even one against the likes of Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez or Rungvisai can happen, he will need to handle his business against Funai.
Funai (31-7, 22 KOs) works behind a tentative jab and doesn't put much on it. The punch he does put something on is his straight right hand which he will look to do damage with. He tends to get a bit wild and his footwork leaves a lot to be desired. Often he seems to tangle himself up and fall in and that leaves him in a vulnerable position and unable to mount any kind of serious attack of his own. Funai is at his best when he's on the outside because that's where he can land his right hand. On the inside Funai doesn't do much and he doesn't make much use of his left hook, making him somewhat of a one-trick pony. Defensively Funai just isn't very good. Of his seven career losses, three of them have come by the way of knockout and that spells trouble against a big puncher like Ancajas.
The 33-year-old Funai is a native of Japan and every single one of his career fights have taken place in his home country. While the bulk of his seven career losses came early in his career he hasn't been fighting anyone nearly as good as Ancajas since his last loss in 2016. The last time Funai was knocked out came back in 2012 but Ancajas is a much bigger puncher than Funai's opponent on that night. Not only will this be Funai's first fight in the U.S. but it will also be his first world title fight and by far the biggest fight of his 14-year career.
There is a term in boxing that often makes fans groan, "showcase fight." When you're a young fighter looking to rise in the ranks and make a name for yourself a showcase fight isn't the worst thing in the world. When you're an established champion it usually means you're taking on a soft touch and fans shouldn't expect much except one way action from the favorite. Unfortunately this will probably just be a showcase fight for Ancajas following a draw in his last bout. He's more skilled than Funai and hits much harder so if Funai was still standing at the final bell he should view it as a moral victory. Funai will probably look to stay on the outside where he can try and avoid danger and land his right hand. Unfortunately for him, Ancajas is still better than he is from the outside and can do serious damage on the inside.
PREDICTION: This fight is going to be all Jerwin Ancajas. He will have his way Ryuichi Funai who won't be able to mount much of an attack himself and Ancajas will knock him out in the fifth round.
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| Ancajas landing a jab |
In his last fight Ancajas stepped in the ring with Alejandro Barrios and fought to a disappointing draw. Against Funai he will look to get back to his winning ways. Winning is something that Ancajas has gotten very used to. His only career loss came back in 2012 and since that defeat he's gone 17-0-1 with an impressive 15 knockouts. Politics of the sport aside, certainly Ancajas would love a shot at newly crowned WBC champ Estrada but before that fight, or even one against the likes of Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez or Rungvisai can happen, he will need to handle his business against Funai.
Funai (31-7, 22 KOs) works behind a tentative jab and doesn't put much on it. The punch he does put something on is his straight right hand which he will look to do damage with. He tends to get a bit wild and his footwork leaves a lot to be desired. Often he seems to tangle himself up and fall in and that leaves him in a vulnerable position and unable to mount any kind of serious attack of his own. Funai is at his best when he's on the outside because that's where he can land his right hand. On the inside Funai doesn't do much and he doesn't make much use of his left hook, making him somewhat of a one-trick pony. Defensively Funai just isn't very good. Of his seven career losses, three of them have come by the way of knockout and that spells trouble against a big puncher like Ancajas.
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| Funai landing a short right hand |
There is a term in boxing that often makes fans groan, "showcase fight." When you're a young fighter looking to rise in the ranks and make a name for yourself a showcase fight isn't the worst thing in the world. When you're an established champion it usually means you're taking on a soft touch and fans shouldn't expect much except one way action from the favorite. Unfortunately this will probably just be a showcase fight for Ancajas following a draw in his last bout. He's more skilled than Funai and hits much harder so if Funai was still standing at the final bell he should view it as a moral victory. Funai will probably look to stay on the outside where he can try and avoid danger and land his right hand. Unfortunately for him, Ancajas is still better than he is from the outside and can do serious damage on the inside.
PREDICTION: This fight is going to be all Jerwin Ancajas. He will have his way Ryuichi Funai who won't be able to mount much of an attack himself and Ancajas will knock him out in the fifth round.
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