OLYMPIC silver medal winner Hidilyn Diaz, former PBA MVP Mark Caguioa and Barangay Ginebra teammates LA Tenorio, along with NLEX star Kiefer Ravena and Rain or Shine big man Beau Belga were among the noted personalities who wished Jerwin Ancajas good luck in his world title defense against Jonathan Rodriguez on Sunday (Manila time).
The 30-yeard-old Diaz, who clinched a silver medal in the women’s weightlifting in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics, said she’s confident her fellow Filipino will be able to defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-flyweight crown against the tough Mexican challenger at the Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort in Connecticut.
“Kayang-kaya mo yan. Congratulations. Alam ko na panalo yan. God bless,” said Diaz from Malaysia prior to his departure for Uzbekistan for the final qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Olympics.
Caguioa, the 40-year-old Barangay Ginebra veteran who won the PBA MVP in 2012 added, ‘knock his ass out.
“Good luck to your fight. We will be cheering for you here in the Philippines.”
The 29-year-old Filipino (32-1-2, 22 KOs) is making the ninth defense of the title he won by outpointing Puerto Rican McJoe Arroyo in 2016.
“Patuloy kang magbigay ng karangalan sa ating bansa. Ingat palagi. Lahat ng Pilipino ay sumusuporta sa iyo,” said Ravena, the NLEX star point guard.
Rain or Shine’s Beau Belga even joked about fighting Ancajas not in the ring, but in the octagon.
“Sa susunod mong laban, ako na ang makakalaban mo, pero sa UFC,” he said in jest.
“Pero make us proud. Lahat ng Pinoy sumusuporta sa iyo.”
Several other popular personalities such as Barangay Ginebra guard Aljon Mariano, retired PBA player Enrico Villanueva, nutritionist Jeaneth Aro, former senator Bongbong Marcos, well-known broadcast personality Erwin Tulfo, partylist congresswoman Nina Taduran, Tribal’s Dondi Manlulo, among others, also sent their respective messages to the pride of Panabo, Davao Del Norte.
The eight-minute video ended with a short message from Ancajas’ wife Ruth and their children from the Survival Camp in Cavite.