CHICAGO - Moments after losing his title challenge against WBA bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue last Saturday night at the Kokugikan Arena in Japan, Jerwin Ancajas sounded like he was done.
"Nakakawala ng kumpiyansa, Seguro ganito talaga ang boxing," he told a group of Filipino writers who traveled to the Land of the Rising Sun to cover Ancajas' attempt to become a two-division world champ.
But when asked by SPIN.ph if he was hanging up his gloves for good, Jerwin cleared the air.
"Hindi pa po. Pahinga lang muna. spend time with my family," he said yesterday morning.
It's a sentiment echoed by MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons.
"Jerwin was very depressed after the fight. I mean, frustrated. He gave it all he got, went in there banging and left everything the ring. And then he gets hit with a freak shot in the solar plexus.
"He's never ever been hit with that shot in his career and it was debilitating."
Gibbons has been through this cycle before when a fighter goes through an emotional roller-coaster. He left Jerwin alone to process the defeat and after a night's sleep some clarity emerged.
"When we spoke the morning after the fight, we decided we're gonna look around at maybe 122 pounds. Sixty days from now we're gonna get him a fight in the Philippines or Thailand.
"We get back at it, that's what we do. The man is 32 years young and we will get back to work."
Hard to say what the future holds for Jerwin Ancanjas, the former IBF super flyweight king who defended his throne nine times.
Harder still is to doubt the heart of a champion.
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