IBF champ Ancajas ready for 'coming-out party' on Pacquiao undercard

BRISBANE, Australia – Filipino champion Jerwin Ancajas vowed to finally make himself known to boxing aficionados once he steps in the ring to defend the IBF junior bantamweight championship in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s showdown with Jeff Horn here.

Ancajas will stake his crown against Japanese Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, with 8 KOs) for the first time on live television, and the Pacquiao-promoted fighter promised to make the most out of it.

“I’m expecting a coming out-type of fight for Jerwin,” international matchmaker Sean Gibbons, who represents the Cavite-based boxer, told Philstar.com.

“He's never been seen live in the Philippines. He's gonna be seen live in the United States, and I think a lot of people are going to be surprised,” he added.

Ancajas breezed past the scales on Saturday’s official weigh-in, tipping in at 114 pounds, one below the junior bantamweight limit of 115 pounds. For his part, Kinoshita, fighting out of Osaka, Japan, weighed in at 115 pounds.

The champion is looking to shine on the big stage, knowing it will lead to bigger fights.

“He's a young guy, fresh, and he wants to impress,” said Gibbons.

Ancajas will make his second title defense since winning the belt in September last year by outpointing Puerto Rican McJoe Arroyo in Taguig City.

In January this year, he defended the crown with a TKO win over Jose Alfredo Rodriguez in Macau.

But Ancajas has remained virtually unknown, which, according to Gibbons, is about to change come Sunday.

“People are gonna see something I have seen over the years, that Jerwin is special,” said Gibbons.

“And tomorrow, people are gonna say 'who's Jerwin Ancajas?' Soon they’ll know.”