CHICAGO — Like a jilted lover, riled by grief and rejection, Alejandro Santiago stalked Jerwin Ancajas all over the makeshift boxing ring at the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Saturday.
The 22-year old Mexican challenger surrendered nearly four inches in height plus an inch in reach, but in order to strip the IBF super flyweight belt from the Filipino champion, Santiago knew that the only path to the title was to tempt fate and move northward.
Light with hesitation and heavy on aggression, Santiago waged a bloody battle behind impressive bursts of malicious overhand rights, hitting Jerwin with concussive blows that had enough ginger to put lesser mortals to sleep.
The Mexican blitzkrieg, which thundered relentlessly right from the opening bell, caught Ancajas by surprise and threw the Panabo city native off his game.
"Santiago came well-prepared. It's like he studied every move I made. When I started aggressive he countered and kept landing the overhand right," Ancajas told The Philippine Star.
The 26-year old Ancajas (30-1-2, 20 KOs), a six-time defending champion was heavily favored to defend his crown against the plucky Santiago (16-2-5, 7 KOs) who turned pro at age 16. So it was a bit jarring to see the fight end in a split draw, with the scorecards reflecting that the Mexican had a real chance at an upset.
But like a good 'ole movie where the star triumphantly roars back when pressed hard against the wall, Ancajas eventually found his rhythm and morphed back into the usual 5-foot-6 ball of fire. His punches were murderous, well-placed, and it snapped faster than Christ's resurrection.
Jerwin collected a $140,000 purse, the fattest paycheck in his nine-year career, but he earned every penny. He wasn't just touched up a bit, he was heavily applied with punches so much so that the well-defined features on his face swelled as though it fell into a pit of angry fists.
So why did a supposedly easy assignment get tricky?
For starters, Jerwin didn't establish his jab early and consistently, landing just 27 of 278. Throwing jabs unceasingly, pelting it like rain on a dirty windshield, would have blurred Santiago's vision and slowed his advance.
JERWIN could have used more uppercuts, too. But what do I know, my last fight was a lifetime ago, a one-sided she-gave-I-took showdown that my ex-wife easily won.
So I asked the opinion of lawyer Ed Tolentino instead.
The boxing savant and fellow SPIN.ph columnist agreed saying, "I was looking for it as well. The uppercut would have been a perfect set-up when the shorter Santiago came too close."
Although Tolentino thought Ancajas narrowly won he sees "room for improvement" for the champ to prolong his reign, including patience with the jab instead of looking for the money punch all the time, adding boxing to the repertoire, and avoiding unnecessary exchanges.
That's the gospel according to the face of boxing broadcasting in the Philippines. And it's hard not to concur.
Ricardo Lopez, one of only 15 champions to retire undefeated (5-0-1, 38 KOs), had a 12-year plus streak as mini flyweight champion. He defended his titles 21 times. dominating foes behind a stifling jab, self-restraint, and devastating power.
Edito "ALA" Villamor, himself a decorated former champ who has since become the chief trainer and coach of Cebu's famed ALA stable, said he believes Lopez is the greatest little man in boxing history.
Villamor would know. He challenged and lost to the Mexican legend in March 3, 1996. Villamor looked straight into Lopez's eyes and saw that look, the cold stare of a ruthless and deliberate assassin who dealt the kind of pain that pierces through another man's soul.
If he wants to realize his dream of cleaning up the 115-pound division, Ancajas needs a sharpened killer instinct, prudence, and a whole lot of composure.
HAIRY SITUATION. Ateneo spark plug Thirdy Ravena got a lot of social media crap lately for sporting a "Bunot" hairstyle in his team's win over UST a couple days ago.
Thirdy didn't mind the negative talk. He even welcomed with a playful "bring it on" bravado. I guess he understood that while sticks and stones can break his bones, words will never hurt him.
Isn't it nice to be young, when the skin is thick as a buffalo's hide, and life's worries are so miniscule we can laugh at our own imperfections?
To all the haters out there, please show some love for Thirdy. Give the good kid a break, and remember this: To hair is human but to forgive is divine.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
